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Cottle County hurricane guide

Cottle County Emergency Management works from the county courthouse in Paducah, with support from the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The county is in the Rolling Plains of Northwest Texas, far from the coast, but the remains of a tropical storm can still bring heavy rain, flash flooding, and severe storms. For emergencies call 911, and for anything else call the Sheriff's Office.

Checked on October 3, 2026

Every phone number and web address on this page was checked against official sources on that date. Details can change, especially during a storm. Always follow instructions from Cottle County Emergency Management. In a life threatening emergency, call 911.

Emergency and information numbers

Service Number Notes
Emergency 911 Police, fire, and ambulance. Call only when someone's life or property is in danger.
Sheriff's Office non-emergency 806-492-3131 Cottle County Sheriff's Office at the courthouse in Paducah. The county's emergency management page sends non-emergency dispatch calls here. For police matters that are not emergencies.
County information line 806-492-3613 Cottle County Judge's office. The County Judge leads emergency management in the county. Office line. Not for emergencies.

Official alerts and information

  • Cottle County Emergency Management: The county's emergency management page. Website.

Evacuation centers

Open only when announced

Evacuation centers open only when officials announce them, and not every center opens for every storm. Check the official list of open centers before you leave home. Bring your own bedding, food, water, and medicines.

Cottle County does not publish a list of shelters or a shelter page. In an emergency, call the Sheriff's Office to ask about shelter, and do not go to a building unless officials say it is open.

Radio, TV and weather

Keep a battery or hand crank radio. When power and cell service fail, radio is often the only way to hear official updates.

Radio stations

Station Frequency Language Notes
KFYO 790 AM English Emergency Alert System primary station (LP1)
KKYN-FM 106.9 FM English Emergency Alert System primary station (LP2)

Emergency Alert System roles come from the Texas Emergency Alert System Plan, approved in December 2017 and updated in January 2026, published by the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

NOAA Weather Radio

A weather radio turns itself on for warnings, even in the middle of the night. Set it to this frequency.

Station Frequency Transmitter
KJY97 162.525 MHz Childress
WZ2507 162.500 MHz Dickens

TV stations

Station Channel Network Language
KAMR-TV (KAMR 4) 4 NBC English
KVII-TV (ABC 7 Amarillo) 7 ABC English
KFDA-TV (NewsChannel 10) 10 CBS English
KCIT (Fox 14) 14 Fox English
KACV-TV (Panhandle PBS) 2 PBS English

Official forecasts

  • National Weather Service Lubbock: Local forecasts, watches, and warnings. Phone: 806-745-3916. Website.
  • National Hurricane Center: Official hurricane forecasts, watches, and warnings. Website.

Power, water and debris

  • AEP Texas: In the ERCOT competitive market you may buy power from a retail electric provider, but AEP Texas owns the lines and restores outages: report outages to AEP Texas, not to your retail provider. Phone: 866-223-8508. Website.
  • Xcel Energy (Southwestern Public Service): Text OUT to 98936 to report an outage. Phone: 800-895-1999. Website.
  • Lighthouse Electric Cooperative: Report an outage online or by phone. Assume every downed line is live and stay far away. Phone: 806-983-2814. Website.
  • South Plains Electric Cooperative: Local: (806) 741-0111. Text OUT to (806) 775-7766. Phone: 888-741-0111. Website.

After the storm: help for displaced residents

If your home is damaged or you cannot go back, these organizations help with shelter, food, money, and paperwork. Many programs open only after a disaster declaration, so check their pages for current status.

Where to start

  • 2-1-1 Texas: The free 211 helpline for all of Texas, a program of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, answered by 25 Area Information Centers. Help finding food, housing, child care, crisis counseling, and disaster services, day or night. Dial 211 at any hour. If 211 does not connect, call 877-541-7905. Choose your language, then option 1 for local services or option 4 to register for STEAR. Phone: 211. Website.

Housing and shelter

  • FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers: After a federal declaration, these centers help you apply for aid in person. Use the locator to find the nearest one. Phone: 1-800-621-3362. Website.

Food

  • High Plains Food Bank: Regional food bank for 29 counties. It supplies local food pantries and meal sites. Amarillo office. Call or use its website to find a food pantry near you. Phone: 806-374-8562. Website.

Money, work and insurance

  • DisasterAssistance.gov: Apply for FEMA aid after a federal declaration. Phone: 1-800-621-3362. Website.
  • SBA disaster loans: Low interest loans for homeowners, renters, and businesses after a declared disaster. Phone: 800-659-2955. Website.
  • Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas: Free civil legal help for low-income residents of 114 counties in north and west Texas, including Dallas, Fort Worth, and Lubbock. It helps with FEMA appeals, disaster unemployment, and other legal problems after a disaster. Legal Aid Line, to apply by phone. For disaster-related questions, call the Disaster Intake Line at 817-339-5391 and leave a message; staff will call you back. Phone: 888-529-5277. Website.

Emotional support

  • Helen Farabee Centers crisis line: The local mental health authority for Archer, Baylor, Childress, Clay, Cottle, Dickens, Foard, Hardeman, Haskell, Jack, King, Knox, Montague, Stonewall, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise, and Young counties, under contract with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Answered at any hour, for a mental health or substance use crisis. You can also call or text 988. Phone: 800-621-8504. Website.
  • 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text, any time. Phone: 988.

Relief organizations

  • American Red Cross North Texas Region: The Red Cross region for 121 counties in north Texas, including the Lubbock area and the Rolling Plains. Shelter, emergency help, and disaster relief. Regional headquarters in Dallas. Lubbock office of the Panhandle Plains Chapter: 806-765-8534. Wichita Falls office of the Texas Big Country Chapter: 940-322-8686. For disaster help at any hour, call 1-800-733-2767. Phone: 214-678-4800. Website.

Cities and towns

Each city has its own services and some have their own alerts. The county's evacuation zones, evacuation centers, and emergency alerts cover everyone, in every city and in unincorporated areas.

Sources

Checked on October 3, 2026. If a number or address here is wrong, please tell us at Keith@KMyers.me.