Governor Greg Abbott today directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to activate state emergency response resources ahead of severe weather impacting parts of Texas beginning today through this weekend. A storm system is expected to bring an increased risk of severe thunderstorms to the Texas Hill Country on Saturday–including large hail, damaging winds, heavy rain, and potential flash flooding–with the threat likely to shift to South Texas on Sunday.
“The State of Texas is ready to respond to severe storms expected in Central and South Texas today and in the coming days,” said Governor Abbott. “As we monitor the development of anticipated storms, state and local emergency response personnel are on standby to help support Texas communities throughout the storms. I urge Texans in these regions to remain weather-aware and heed the guidance of local emergency response personnel to keep themselves, their loved ones, and their property safe.”
At the Governor’s direction, TDEM has activated the following state resources to support severe weather response operations:
Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (Texas A&M Task Force 1): Urban search and rescue teams, swiftwater boat squads
TDEM has the following state resources on standby to respond if conditions warrant:
Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (Texas Task Force 2): Urban search and rescue teams, swiftwater boat squads
Texas A&M Forest Service: Saw crews, Incident Management Teams
Texas Department of Transportation: Monitoring road conditions
Texas Department of Public Safety: Helicopters with hoist capability, Texas Highway Patrol Tactical Marine Unit
Texas National Guard: High-profile vehicle platoons
Texas Parks & Wildlife Department: Game Wardens and boat teams
Public Utility Commission of Texas: Power outage monitoring and coordinating with utility providers in the threat area
Texas Commission on Environmental Qualify: Air/water/wastewater monitoring
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Disaster assessment and recovery agents
Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service: Texas A&M Public Works Response Team
Texas Department of State Health Services: Texas Emergency Medical Task Force severe weather packages
Texas Division of Emergency Management: Disaster Recovery Task Force and state mass care coordination
TDEM has alerted all members of the Texas Emergency Management Council to be prepared to support response and recovery operations across the state.
Texans are urged to take severe weather safety preparedness precautions, including making an emergency plan, heeding warnings of local officials, and monitoring local weather forecasts. Texans can visit texasready.gov for severe weather safety information.