Austin public safety leaders teach 'Cooking in a Crisis' in new video series

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin's Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management launched the first video of a six-part series called: "No Power. No Problem. Cooking in a Crisis."

The series will be several cooking tutorials featuring public safety leaders to show Austinites how to cook in a crisis.

It's not everyday you get a cooking tutorial from Austin's interim chief of police, but Austin Homeland Security And Emergency Management Department’s social media pages posted exactly that: a video of Chief Robin Henderson giving a tutorial on how to cook smothered chicken on an outdoor grill.

It is part one of HSEM’s new six-part series called "No Power. No Problem. Cooking in a Crisis," meant to teach Austinites how certain meals can still be prepared even if the power is out.

"Over the last few years, Austin has experienced several significant storms. Some of those storms have resulted in power outages. Today, we're going to show you several options that will allow you to feed yourself and your family when there's no power," said HSEM Director Ken Snipes in the video.

Chief Henderson is just the first public safety leader to give a tutorial, but the city says more are to come throughout the month of May.

"The video series will feature leadership from Austin Police, Austin Fire, EMS, HSEM, and 911 Operations Center," said Sara Henry, Public Information Manager with Austin HSEM.

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The point is to showcase public safety leaders in an environment that is not so typical and show just how important it is to have an emergency plan.

"We're seeing more extreme hazards such as wildfire, heat, severe weather, tornadoes, flooding, drought; these are all types of events that we can prepare for. Part of this educational series is just giving people an opportunity to see leaders in our community in public safety demonstrate how you can be safe and how you can prepare, making it accessible and easy for anyone to do," said Henry.