- Artists transform hurricane aftermath into hoop-inspired masterpieces at Charlotte exhibit
- NC's cost for Hurricane Helene damage is nearly $60 billion, state says
- State to develop drone program to better respond to disasters like Helene, Florence
- South Carolina residents face deadline to get storm debris out to the curb after Hurricane Helene
- SCDOT to pick up Hurricane Helene debris for a final day in South Carolina
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo takes bilingual approach to hurricane warning billboards
-
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office recently added Spanish to digital billboards that have warned the public about hurricane season since 2013.
>>> See the English translation
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office recently added Spanish to digital billboards that have warned the public about hurricane season since 2013.>>> See the English translation
Photo: Harris County Office Of Homeland Security And Emergency Management
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office recently added Spanish to digital billboards that have warned the public about hurricane season since 2013.
>>> See the English translation
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s office recently added Spanish to digital billboards that have warned the public about hurricane season since 2013.
>>> See the English translation
Photo: Harris County Office Of Homeland Security And Emergency Management
Lina Hidalgo won’t just speak English.
The Harris County judge continues delivering messages about disaster scenarios in both English and Spanish, despite criticism of her bilingual speech in March from Chambers County Commissioner Mark Tice.
Hidalgo addressed the public in both languages numerous times during the days-long chemical fire in Deer Park. Tice, however, disagreed with her use of Spanish and said she should “speak English.“
‘SPEAK ENGLISH’: Houston-area elected official apologizes after speaking out against Lina Hidalgo
Tice apologized for his comments that day after a wave of backlash. More recently, Hidalgo’s office added a Spanish translation to digital billboards that have been used to warn the public about hurricane season since 2013, according to Rosio Torres-Segura, a spokeswoman for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
“This is the first time the billboards have gone up in Spanish,” she told Chron.com.
Melissa Arredondo, a spokeswoman for Hidalgo’s office, said she didn’t know when the decision to add Spanish was made. But it wasn’t related to Tice’s comments, she said.
“It’s generally been [Hidalgo’s] policy to speak English and Spanish,” Arredondo said.
In partnership with Clear Channel Outdoor, the emergency management office launched the annual digital countdown to hurricane season in 2013. The partnership allows emergency managers to access Clear Channel’s billboards to issue weather warnings, evacuation information, shelter locations and road detour information.
On Wednesday, the 12 digital billboards throughout Harris County started displaying the countdown to hurricane season, which starts June 1. Four traditional billboards, also in both English and Spanish, will remain up through the end of hurricane season.
Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.