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Hurricane Dean in Gulf of Mexico
State agencies, including the Texas Education Agency,
are mobilizing to respond, if necessary, to Hurricane
Dean. Agency staff will monitor developments throughout
the weekend. The latest information about the status
of the hurricane is available from the National Hurricane
Center at: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov.
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OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
R i c k P e r r y
For
Immediate Distribution
Aug. 17, 2007
News Release |
Governor’s
Press Office: 512-463-1826
Robert Black: robert.black@governor.state.tx.us
Katherine Cesinger: kcesinger@governor.state.tx.us
|
Gov. Perry Declares Hurricane
Dean Imminent Threat to Texas
Activates State Resources as Dean Approaches the
Gulf
AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today declared Hurricane
Dean an imminent threat to Texas, initiating full-scale
state hurricane preparedness efforts. Perry activated
state resources, including search and rescue teams,
as National Weather Service projections show Hurricane
Dean could impact the Texas coast by the middle of next
week.
“With the potential of another major storm entering
the Gulf of Mexico and threatening the Texas coast,
now is the time to begin mobilizing our resources and
implementing our plan to ensure an orderly response
before landfall,” Perry said. “As we continue
to monitor Hurricane Dean, the state is preparing to
deploy ample resources, manpower and equipment to meet
any potential need to ensure the safety of Texas residents.”
Gov. Perry ordered the following state resources activated
and actions to be taken:
- 250 Texas Military Forces (TMF) command personnel
to support the potential activation and deployment
of up to 10,000 TMF soldiers, if necessary
- Texas Task Force 1 in Bryan/College Station - 300
personnel
- Texas Task Force 2 in Dallas - 160 personnel
Texas Forest Service Lonestar Task Force - 80 personnel
- 250 Texas Parks and Wildlife Department crews with
boats
- The Texas fuel industry has begun surging fuel
loads to all coastal counties to ensure adequate fuel
supply
- The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) will
begin displaying public service announcements at noon
today in costal counties advising residents to keep
their gas tanks full
- TxDOT has also begun pre-positioning resources and
sweeping evacuation corridors in preparation of extra
evacuation lanes and contraflow
- The State Operations Center (SOC) will be fully
activated at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, and twice daily conference
calls are being held with local elected officials,
first responders, mass care providers, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency, and the National Weather
Service to assess the latest weather projections and
to coordinate state and local preparation and response.
If Dean continues to strengthen and threaten Texas,
additional emergency forces could be activated and deployed
in the coming days to appropriate staging areas near
the Texas coast.
“As the state works with local leaders to activate
emergency response plans, it is imperative that Texans
living along the coast pay close attention to threatening
weather conditions and heed the warnings of their local
leaders,” Perry said.
[[ Media Note: If the threat to Texas from
Hurricane Dean intensifies, a media center will be opened
at the SOC in the Department of Public Safety’s
cafeteria (similar to the set-up during Kartina/Rita)
on Monday, August 20th. The Governor’s Press Office
will issue a media advisory on Sunday, Aug. 19 with
relevant details. ]]
Dial
2-1-1 to Register for a Ride
If you live in a hurricane EVACUATION ZONE, and you
have special health care or transportation needs, you
need to make extra efforts to get ready for hurricane
season. To find out whether you are living in an evacuation
zone, dial 2-1-1...
This page last updated
August 21, 2007
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