TYLER — The Smith County commissioners approved an agreement Tuesday with an east Texas organization to make it easier for people to donate to help with disasters.
The new agreement with the East Texas Communities Foundation will create the East Texas Disaster Relief Fund.
The fund would allow people to donate to the fund before a disaster strikes the area, allowing money to be readily available should the need come.
“It will take the administrative load off of the county,” CEO Kyle Penney said. “It will be a single source, ready to go in the event of a disaster without causing any delay.”
The fund will likely be used for weather events. However, use of the fund would be limited so not all weather disaster would qualify, though Penny did not give specific situations.
Penny says the funds can be used for all phases of a disaster including planning, immediate response and long-term recovery.
The commissioners also approved new software 911 dispatchers.
GenCore will install the new software called PULSE from Tyler-based Genesis Group. According to Genesis's website, the software will allow authorities to crowd source information if an incident happens.
It will also be able to better track deputies and cars via GPS for faster response time.
The software gives updates to officers on road closures, crashes and weather alerts that could slow response time.
