Cooke County Emergency Management and Fire Marshal's Office

06/17/2026

Dog days of Summer are finally here - all of NTX is in a heat advisory today and tomorrow thanks to the humidity from the recent rains and heat indexes could reach triple digit temps. If you are working (or playing) outside, be sure to stay hydrated and wear clothing that allows for ventilation as well as cover from the sun. Heat injuries can sneak up on you very quickly, so get out of the heat as soon as possible if you start to feel unwell. Also a good idea to check in on any vulnerable friends and family, especially elderly folks and those with disabilities or health issues. Stay safe (and cool) out there!

06/15/2026

Some helpful tips for those seeking to apply for the Shelter Rebate Program based on some common mistakes we are seeing:

1) You MUST submit completely filled out applications and ALL required documentation for your application to be considered. This is non-negotiable and incomplete applications and/or missing documentation will be rejected automatically. Carefully read through the Guidelines and the Application Instructions as they tell you *exactly* what needs to be included.

2) Part of your required documentation is a detailed building site plan for your shelter or safe room. Work with your desired provider to draft this up. TDEM and FEMA consider any application that does not have a detailed building plan to be "high risk" for eligibility when it gets to the rebate phase and could very easily result in your eligibility getting revoked after you've already paid for your shelter. We will not accept any application that is missing a site plan.

3) When you submit your application, try to do so as a single scanned .pdf file via the Safe Room Program email provided to you in the instructions. We've had numerous submissions sent in as poor quality snapshots with phone cameras and we cannot do anything with these. Also, scanning and submitting each document individually just increases the workload on our end to compile them and will result in your application being processed slower. If you have no ability to scan and email applications, you can mail in the *complete* physical application packet to either the County OEM or County Courthouse addresses found on the webpage. However, just understand that physically mailed copies will take more time to process.

4) Lastly PLEASE CAREFULLY READ the Guidelines and Application Instructions that we have spent a great deal of time and effort to provide you. They walk you through each step and requirement to properly apply for this program. We do not have the personnel or the bandwidth to answer constant phone calls of people who have not bothered to read anything and want the program explained to them.

We understand that there is a lot of work and effort on the citizens with this program. We have no control over that and, if you want to benefit from this opportunity, you have to do it *their way.* This is why we have gone to all the effort we already have to provide citizens and vendors as much assistance as possible with the materials on the webpage. This program is not the same as it was before - it is MUCH stricter and requires a good deal more from citizens and vendors than it did in past programs. We don't want citizens getting all the way to the back end and spending their money just to have their eligibility revoked, so we are doing all this now on the front end to ultimately protect you all. Thanks for your patience and visit the Rebate Program Webpage to get started and download the assistance materials.

The Cooke County Office of Emergency Management is now accepting applications for the Cooke County Safe Room/Storm Shelter Rebate Program. The program is funded through a grant provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM). The p...

06/10/2026

To assist all our local storm shelter/safe room manufacturers and installers (and, ultimately, our citizens) as they navigate our Residential Safe Room Rebate Program, we have published a very useful Vendor Handbook today that should provide all shelter vendors with the information they will need as they work with citizens who elect to participate in this program.

In this handbook, you will find exactly what TDEM and FEMA are looking for in terms of certification qualifications, documentation they will need to provide to citizens as they apply, and other details pertinent to them in the Program. Thank you for your patience and please visit the link below from our Rebate Program Webpage to download this document.

06/08/2026

***IMPORTANT UPDATE FOR THE SHELTER REBATE PROGRAM***

As many have already found out, there were some initial issues with the communication about the application process for the Residential Safe Room Rebate Program. Most especially, there was considerable confusion over the requirement to have a certified vendor already selected *before* application submission. This is a requirement and must be completed on the application.

We have spent considerable time revising existing materials and publishing some new ones to further assist citizens in educating themselves on the application process. Please go to the County Rebate Webpage at https://www.co.cooke.tx.us/page/cooke.SafeRoomProgram to learn more.

PLEASE pay close attention to the details of this application process. We have sadly had to reject the vast majority of the applications already submitted due to them being incomplete or not having the required documentation attached to them. The Application Form now comes with a detailed set of instructions that walk citizens through step-by-step each field and what documentation is required. This should hopefully make things much clearer. Additionally, the step-by-step process for the program has been reclarified to clear up the earlier confusion. We appreciate your patience as we strive to communicate the requirements of this program as accurately as we can.

06/07/2026

A very wet Sunday morning for us. NWS has issued a Flash Flood Warning for the southern half of the County until 11:30 due to the amount of rainfall we could receive there. Remember - exercise extreme caution around waterways, roadways, and low lying areas prone to flooding. Water levels can rise rapidly and without warning in conditions like these. DO NOT try to navigate flooded roadways - remember, "Turn Around - Don't Drown."

06/05/2026

At long last, the wait is over - we are happy to announce the return of the Cooke County Residential Safe Room Rebate Program. This program is now open to all property owners in Cooke County and all cities/townships within who are interested in building a storm shelter or safe room and may provide a 50% rebate of their building costs *up to a maximum of $3,000.* Now before you apply or contact us, there are some very important details of this program that you need to pay attention to:

-This program is for *property owners* within Cooke County. The name of the applicant must match the name on the deed or mortgage as well as the method of payment. This program is not eligible for renters and cannot be gifted.
-This program is *first-come, first-serve.* We will process applications in the order they are received. There are no "special waiting lists" or reservations.
-Submitting an application DOES NOT guarantee you will receive a rebate. There is a strict selection process that must be followed.
-The funding we have been given for this program *is limited* and will end once all funds have been awarded.
-This program is a rebate/reimbursement program. Citizens pay the cost themselves initially up front. This program *will not* build a shelter for you or advance funds to you.
-This program has *very strict* eligibility and application requirements that MUST be met from start to finish in order to receive a rebate. PLEASE go to the Cooke County Rebate Program Webpage (see link below or scan the QR Code in the graphics), download the Program Guidelines, and carefully read through the instructions and FAQs *BEFORE you contact County personnel.* The majority of your questions can be answered there and we have spent considerable time and effort creating materials to aid you in this process. Please use them.
-Lastly, we understand there are a lot of citizens who want to use this program who may not be eligible. Please understand we do not make the rules of this program and can only operate under the conditions that came with the funding. We will do our absolute best to ensure as many as possible are able to utilize it.

Thank you all for your patience and a massive thank you to the City of Gainesville Office of Emergency Management along with Grayson County OEM and City of Bowie TX for their generous partnership in putting this program together. Please visit the Cooke County Rebate Program webpage to download the required documents and begin the application process.
https://www.co.cooke.tx.us/page/cooke.SafeRoomProgram

05/26/2026

Excited to share the good news with you all - Cooke County has been awarded a new Storm Shelter/Safe Room Rebate Grant from FEMA that will be open to all homeowners of Cooke County. The Commissioners Court has approved and signed the award letter today which means it will not be long before our program is available. We ask for patience as we put the finishing touches on our program and we hope to have this ready for launch in the first week of June. Stay tuned for updates and we will ensure that the program launch is communicated across every possible outlet.

In the meantime, this is a good time for those interested in participating in this program to start familiarizing themselves with the eligibility requirements and processes of the program. Our neighbors in Grayson County Emergency Management have already launched their program and you can find many of the same materials on the eligibility requirements as we will have. Go to https://www.co.grayson.tx.us/page/oem.saferoomprogram to get a good idea of what this program will look like and how it will work (but PLEASE DO NOT apply for their program or bother their people over it - their program is only for Grayson County citizens).

Stay tuned and more to follow soon.

05/24/2026

While we've fortunately had a rather tame Memorial Day Weekend so far, here's a more long term outlook. Wednesday has the best chance for rainy/stormy weather, but the primary threat looks to be just heavy rainfall. However, some pop-up surprise severe storms are possible every day, so make sure to keep an eye on things and always be prepared. If the County does get heavy rain, stay safe around roads or waterways and remember - turn around, don't drown!

05/20/2026

Since we will likely have several days of potentially heavy rains across the County, it's a good time to talk about flash flooding risks.
Bottomline, if you can't see the road in front of you DO NOT risk your vehicle or yourself! The rule is "turn around - don't drown!" Be aware of any flood-prone waterways and roads around you and have a plan to avoid them if you need to. Stay safe (and dry) out there.

05/19/2026

UPDATE - Flash Flood Warning for the NE corner of the County has now expired. Please still be careful around waterways and roads in that area today. Sometimes flood surges can happen unexpectedly even if the rains have moved on.