The Texas State Emergency Operations Center (SOC), operated by the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), functions 24/7 to support statewide emergency response and coordination. The SOC monitors disasters and emergencies across Texas, facilitates the exchange of critical information with local, state, and federal partners, and coordinates state resources to assist local governments during disasters or significant events.
During major incidents, the SOC becomes a central coordination hub where the agency leadership, other state agencies, and volunteer organizations that make up the Texas Emergency Management Council convene to identify needs, mobilize resources, and deploy state and volunteer support to affected communities.
Additionally, the SOC serves as the state warning point.
The SOC is staffed around the clock by The Watch — TDEM’s dedicated team that ensures 24/7, year-round operational readiness. The Watch supports local jurisdictions by coordinating assistance for emergencies and special events across Texas. It typically manages over 8,000 incidents annually, distributing National Weather Service updates to affected regions, maintaining real-time situational awareness, and producing timely reports such as Incident Reports, Spot Reports, and Situation Reports. When necessary, the Watch increases readiness levels at the Governor's direction and notifies appropriate Texas Emergency Management Council members and TDEM personnel to ensure a swift and coordinated response.
During disasters and planned events, the SOC is activated to serve as the central coordination point for statewide emergency response. The SOC brings together members of the Texas Emergency Management Council, support personnel, and subject matter experts to manage response operations. Staffing levels and operational periods are determined by the scope and scale of the event.
Pursuant to provisions of the Texas Disaster Act, the Governor established an Emergency Management Council, consisting of representatives of 36 state agencies and three volunteer groups, to advise and assist in all matters relating to disaster preparedness, response and recovery. During major emergencies and disasters, all or a portion of the Emergency Management Council convenes at the SOC to coordinate the use of state resources to respond to emergency situations and local requests for emergency assistance that cannot be resolved at the disaster district level.
The Texas SOC Clock sets the official time for the H-120 countdown as well as any other incident or event that needs a uniform and set time statewide.
The easy to remember URL for the SOC Clock is https://clock.soc.texas.gov/ or you can select this link for the SOC Clock.
As soon as possible, all jurisdictional departments should begin gathering response costs and initial damage estimates. These figures need not be exact but are necessary to complete the Disaster Summary Outline (DSO). The DSO is the first snapshot TDEM receives regarding the extent of damages. The DSO is used as a basis for obtaining a Presidential Disaster Declaration. DSOs will automatically be sent to the State Operations Center (SOC) through the form.
All documents must be downloaded and viewed within a PDF Reader, such as Adobe Acrobat. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download it free of charge.
Download the Adobe Acrobat Reader
Under Section 775.083 of the Texas Health and Safety Code, emergency services districts are required to file an annual report with the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The report is due by January 1 each year.
TDEM has arranged with the Texas State Association of Fire and Emergency Districts (SAFE-D) to collect the annual reports.
To view filings for the most recent year, click to: https://www.safe-d.org/esdreports25/
To submit a new/updated report use this link: https://form.jotform.com/243305037876156
For more information about SAFE-D visit: www.safe-d.org (or contact admin@safe-d.org).
Additional Information
STEAR Forms and Documentation
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