With all the recent flooding, Houston is certainly polishing its emergency preparedness skills. If a big hurricane hits again this summer, the city should be ready. Long before Ike plunged Houston into eerie darkness on September 13, 2008, the city was ready. 
We had created a $20 million Rainy Day Fund, contracted for post-storm debris pickup, improved the evacuation plan after Hurricane Rita gridlock and made sure city response was coordinated with county, state and federal responders as well as utility companies. One of the smartest projects the city ever helped launch is TranStar, the regional traffic and emergency management center, considered one of the world’s best. Still, each storm is a new experience. 
Ike taught us painful lessons about restoring the electrical grid and backing up the city water system. We are working on correcting those problems before the next hurricane season.  But there is a deeper level of response that we must achieve.
During Rita, I volunteered to help handle calls at the Houston Emergency Center, where the city’s emergency management staff was operating.  I fielded non-emergency calls from the disabled, those reliant on electricity for life-saving medical equipment, and those without transportation.   I could do little more than comfort them over the telephone and promise to send help after the storm. 
Yes, the city had seen the big picture and prepared fairly well. But tragedy was striking in individual homes. So many desperate people should not have to call 311 for help during a disaster.
We should know in advance who and where the most vulnerable live. We did little better during Ike, although a more honed media message and a general feeling that the storm would be less severe helped. The city and electricity providers do request that the most vulnerable  call before a storm to get on assistance lists.
Obviously, this can’t reach everyone. While governments try to do their part before, during and after a storm, individuals and groups also play a critical role in saving lives.  The city has just launched a pilot program to coordinate those efforts and fill in critical gaps in storm response.
Acres Homes, a predominantly African-American community in northwest Houston, has been asked to serve as a model for the rest of the city. Hopefully, the Acres Homes pilot will provide a workable model. 
Houston is composed of so many wonderful neighborhoods, many with Neighborhood Watch programs. This is just a logical extension of those successful programs that will serve this city well in case of disaster.  Individuals must also do their part in a disaster.  Stock up on batteries and battery-run items, like flashlights, fans and TVs, before hurricane season. Pay close attention to hurricane alerts. Most importantly, know your evacuation routes if you live in a storm-surge zone, and reach out to neighbors for help if you need it. 
All this sounds like common sense, but we all wonder why so many people ignore warnings until the last minute. We can do better, and after the hard lessons of Hurricane Ike, I’m extremely hopeful that we will.
Annise D. Parker is Houston City Controller (the second highest elected city official). She is now running for mayor of Houston.