Multiple counties have issued evacuation orders, while state agencies and local nonprofits are mobilizing to provide disaster relief in response to Beryl.
Beryl is on its way to South Texas , and emergency preparedness efforts are underway across the region to respond to the storm’s wrath. After hitting the Yucatan Peninsula and downgrading to a tropical storm, Beryl is regaining strength as it barrels over the Gulf of Mexico.
According to the National Hurricane Center, it is expected to make landfall in the Lone Star State early Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane. On Saturday, Acting Governor Dan Patrick added 81 counties to the state’s Hurricane Beryl Disaster Declaration, bringing the total number of Texas counties included in the declaration, including Bexar County, to 121. Patrick, who has assumed the leadership role as Gov. Greg Abbott leads an economic development mission in Asia, said he has been in communication with state agencies and local leaders to coordinate emergency response efforts and advised Texans that Sunday is the last opportunity to prepare for the storm. “Based on the current forecast, heavy rain and some localized flooding could occur all the way from the coast through areas near College Station, Tyler and Texarkana as the storm moves through Texas on its current track,” he said in a news release. “The track may change over the next 40 hours. Texans need to take heed, watch their local officials, and prepare today and tomorrow before the storm makes landfall early Monday morning.” Multiple counties have issued mandatory and voluntary evacuation orders, while state agencies and local nonprofits are mobilizing to establish emergency preparedness and provide relief associated with the severe weather event. The Texas General Land Office is monitoring storm conditions and has activated several storm readiness procedures across its divisions to assist communities in the storm’s path, including oil spill prevention and response, disaster housing operations and debris removal strategies. “I urge all Texans to take the appropriate precautions to keep your family and neighbors safe including remaining alert to local weather predictions and heeding warnings from local officials,” Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in a news release. The National Hurricane Center forecasts that the center of Beryl will make landfall around 125 miles southeast of San Antonio in the vicinity of Matagorda Island, Port O’Connor and Port Lavaca between 5 and 10 a.m. Monday morning. The storm is expected to cause dangerous, widespread flooding and winds potentially reaching up to 70 mph on the coastline. Port Aransas is requiring all visitors to evacuate from the city by noon Sunday, when ferry operations will be suspended due to storm impacts, according to a post on social media. The order does not apply to permanent residents and homeowners, but those who need special assistance or who live in low-lying areas are also encouraged to evacuate. Nueces County, which includes Corpus Christi, has also issued a mandatory evacuation for visitors by noon. Property owners and residents are strongly advised to also seek shelter outside the area. “Area residents who chose not to evacuate are asked to take necessary precautions to protect lives and secure property,” the order from Nueces County Judge Connie Scott said. Everyone who lives in Refugio County was ordered to evacuate Saturday afternoon “effective immediately,” according to a Facebook post from Refugio County Judge Jhiela Poynter. Bus service to an emergency shelter out of town is being provided to residents unable to evacuate. Poynter said the community, which is still rebuilding from damage sustained during Hurricane Harvey in 2017, knows firsthand just how quickly things can escalate in a storm — including how first responder vehicles can’t mobilize in hurricane winds, how its local hospital has to reroute emergency patients, how city water is turned off and how power is lost for undetermined amounts of time. “I would rather be cautious and let Tropical Storm Beryl come crawling into an empty Refugio County, than the alternative if it strengthens beyond prediction as so many storms have done in the past,” she wrote. Brazoria, Calhoun, Galveston, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda and San Patricio counties have issued voluntary evacuation orders for visitors and residents in certain areas. According to a news release from the nonprofit, the Salvation Army will coordinate its State Feeding Task Force from Austin, with the Southern Baptist disaster relief teams on standby to deploy a field kitchen if needed. Mobile feeding units from San Antonio, New Braunfels, Victoria, Kerrville and Beeville have been activated to assist. “The Salvation Army’s immediate efforts after the storm makes landfall will focus on feeding and emotional and spiritual care,” said Alvin Migues, Emergency Disaster Services Director for The Salvation Army in Texas, in a statement. An incident management team will run the nonprofit’s emergency response operations from San Antonio Sunday afternoon. Staff, volunteers and equipment will be relocated to an impacted area, which could be Harlingen, McAllen, Kingsville, Corpus Christi, Victoria or Houston depending on Beryl’s path. The Texas Hurricane Center is urging residents to make a plan to stay safe, including assembling an emergency supply skit with food, water and the essential supplies their family and pets will need if they have to shelter in place or evacuate. Those in the storm's path are reminded not to walk, swim or drive through flood waters. The organization wrote that it takes only a foot of moving water to sweep a vehicle away. Information on flooded roads and conditions will be posted on Drivetexas.org. Those who sustain damage caused by tropical weather are encouraged to report damages through the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool.
Salvation Army National Hurricane Center State Feeding Task Force Individual State Of Texas Assessment Tool Southern Baptist Texas Hurricane Center Beryl Dan Patrick Jhiela Poynter Dawn Buckingham Greg Abbott Connie Scott Alvin Migues Tyler Texas Land Commissioner Victoria South Texas Nueces County Gulf Of Mexico Yucatan Peninsula Texarkana College Station San Antonio Bexar County Refugio County Asia Matagorda Island Corpus Christi Port O'connor Port Lavaca Port Aransas Austin New Braunfels Kerrville Beeville Harlingen Houston Kingsville Mcallen San Patricio Kleberg Galveston Kenedy Calhoun Brazoria Hurricane Beryl Disaster Declaration Hurricane Harvey Texans Category 1 Tropical Storm Beryl Facebook Drivetexas.Org
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