BEAUMONT - Memories of last year's disastrous hurricane season in Florida drew more than 600 officials from coastal Texas communities to Beaumont on Tuesday for the state's third, and largest ever, hurricane conference.

The three-day conference brings together politicians, law enforcement officials and industry representatives to discuss how to react to a catastrophe none wants but most expect sooner or later.

Gov. Rick Perry is expected to speak Thursday, as is Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and Galveston Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas.

Officials say hurricane preparedness has become a greater concern in Texas in the past year, with four hurricanes devastating Florida last year and the release in March of a comprehensive review by Perry's office that noted flaws in state and local response plans.

In addition, a series of articles in the Houston Chronicle in February pointed out dangerous oversights in local evacuation plans, including the lack of any coordinated effort to evacuate the sick, the old and the poor who lack transportation.

Officials with the governor's Division of Emergency Management are responding to those problems, devoting four of the 34 planned sessions to "Planning For Special Needs." The seminars focus on identifying, evacuating and sheltering shut-ins and others who are dependent on outside help.

Bill King, outgoing mayor of Kemah and an earlier skeptic of state hurricane preparedness, said another of his concerns noted in the Chronicle series may also have been resolved.

King, who will chair a hurricane preparedness task force for the Houston-Galveston Area Council this summer, had complained that the area held no drills to test its preparations. He said Tuesday that local officials are planning a drill for June 28.

Among other concerns for coastal Texans is the plethora of industrial sites, many of which deal with hazardous chemicals. Disaster preparation experts with local industries and Galveston County held a workshop Tuesday.

"I've seen some really bad things happen when people were not ready to shut it down right," said Lew Fincher, the vice president of Hurricane Consulting Inc., a safety and preparedness consultant.

Fincher joined Eliot Jennings, Galveston County's emergency management coordinator, and Tom Janise of Invista (formerly DuPont) in encouraging industry officials to meet with and coordinate their plans with local government officials.