The Incident Support Task Force, managed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, was created to assist jurisdictions that have been impacted by an emergency or disaster, to recover more efficiently by starting the recovery process early in the response phase.
The ISTF team consists of regional coordinators, finance coordinators, and voluntary agency liaisons throughout the state and specialists positions at TDEM headquarters for community and infrastructure recovery, mass care, voluntary organization coordination, as well as team and programmatic expansion.
History
Following Hurricane Harvey and recommendations from the “Eye of the Storm” report, the Disaster Recovery Task Force (DRTF) was developed through House Bill 6 from the 86th Legislative Session.
The DRTF was established by TDEM in accordance with Texas Government Code Section 418.0553, “to operate throughout the long-term recovery period following natural and man-made disasters by providing specialized assistance for communities and individuals to address financial issues, available federal assistance programs, and recovery and resiliency planning to speed recovery efforts at the local level.”
Today, the Disaster Recovery Task Force is one of many components of TDEM's Incident Support Task Force, consisting of local government employees who deploy to assist other local jurisdictions through the disaster recovery process.
Incident Support Task Force Capabilities
Incident Support Task Force members are capable of assisting local officials with the following (including but not limited to): mass care, community stabilization, volunteer and donations management, short and long term recovery solutions, emergency operations center needs, sheltering and feeding, debris management, disaster finance, communications, nonprofit support, voluntary organization coordination, and general emergency management guidance. The Incident Support Task Force operates throughout all phases of emergency management, providing specialized, localized, assistance for communities to guide and expedite local recovery efforts.
Aaron Alvarez is the Incident Support Task Force Coordinator for TDEM Region 5. He previously served as Executive Aide, working closely with the Media, Communications, and Preparedness teams and agency leadership to support public engagements and events across the state. He originally joined TDEM as Advance Representative.
Aaron is a graduate of the inaugural Texas Emergency Management Academy, where he received his FEMA National Emergency Management Basic Academy Certificate of Completion as well as NREMT Emergency Medical Technician Basic Certification. The Academy provided him with over 1,400 hours of instruction, training, and knowledge in a variety of aspects of emergency management, including the fields of emergency preparedness, disaster response, recovery, and hazard mitigation.
After graduating high school and attending college, Aaron worked as a project manager for a general contracting company in Austin, TX. During his free time, he spent many hours volunteering for the local Fire Department and learning about Fire and Emergency Services.
The Incident Support Task Force (ISTF) is a state resource, deployable under the direction of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, comprised of multi-disciplined, multi-talented, and high qualified subject-matter experts with experience in all phases of emergency management.
The Incident Support Task Force maintains a reservist roster comprised of local-level government employees who may be requested to deploy to assist other local jurisdictions in the response to and recovery from disasters.
In this “locals helping locals” effort, members deploy from unimpacted regions of the state to assist affected communities with all hazards.
Additional Information
STEAR Forms and Documentation
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