fe a tu re Ready to Respond Emergency operations centers should be designed to be flexible, efficient, and carefully aligned with the emergency management plans they support. Deer Park, Texas, has seen its share of disasters. Located just outside of Houston, the city has survived numerous hurricanes—including Rita in 2005 and Ike in 2008—as well as monsoon rains and floods. Deer Park is also home to many petrochemical companies, requiring the city to be prepared in the event of a potential hazardous material or refinery accident. For the past several years, Deer Park emergency managers have responded successfully to many types of incidents, working from a flexible, fully equipped emergency operations center (EOC) housed within the city’s police headquarters. The headquarters facility was designed by Dewberry to withstand high winds and 4 Dimensions ®