Governor Greg Abbott today announced that he directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to deploy Texas emergency response and recovery resources to Florida and Tennessee, following requests from the Florida Division of Emergency Management ahead of Hurricane Milton and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency for Hurricane Helene impacts. “Texas is swiftly deploying emergency response personnel and resources to Florida as Hurricane Milton prepares to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast later this week,” said Governor Abbott. “I also directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to send additional state resources to Tennessee to assist in recovery efforts for communities impacted by Hurricane Helene. America is stronger when we come together in times of crisis, and Texas will continue to deploy crucial resources to support our fellow Americans as they prepare for and recover from these destructive storms. I thank all the Texas emergency response personnel for their work in Hurricane Helene recovery efforts and for answering the call to support the people of Florida as they brace for Hurricane Milton.” The emergency response resources inbound for Florida have mobilized ahead of impact from Hurricane Milton, while the disaster recovery resources deployed to Tennessee are to support Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. This deployment is in addition to state emergency response and recovery resources from Texas that remain engaged in support of state and local officials across the Southeast United States following impacts from Hurricane Helene. At the direction of Governor Abbott, TDEM has deployed the following resources to support Florida’s Hurricane Milton emergency response operations:
- Texas Division of Emergency Management: Emergency management personnel to assist with emergency response resource coordination efforts
- Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (Texas A&M Task Force 1): Swiftwater Rescue Boat Squads and search and rescue personnel to assist with flood response efforts
The Governor also directed TDEM to deploy the following resources to assist Tennessee’s Hurricane Helene recovery efforts:
- Texas Division of Emergency Management: Emergency management personnel to support logistics and disaster finance operations
This deployment of resources is coordinated under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). EMAC is a state-to-state mutual aid system that enables states to provide assistance and share resources with another state in response to a disaster or emergency. EMAC members can share resources from all disciplines, protect personnel who deploy, and be reimbursed for mission-related costs. For more information, visit emacweb.org. Governor Abbott continues to take action to support tropical weather response and recovery efforts, including:
- Deploying Incident Support Task Force personnel to North Carolina to assist state and local emergency operations centers communities impacted by Hurricane Helene
- Deploying emergency veterinary resources to North Carolina to support Helene response and recovery efforts
- Deploying emergency power generators to Georgia following Helene
- Deploying Texas A&M Task Force 1 urban search and rescue resources to Florida ahead of storm impacts from Helene