Gov. Abbott preps flooding, power outage aid for parts of Texas ahead of Hurricane Ida
As the Gulf Coast prepares for “life-altering” Hurricane Ida’s landfall on Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott has placed standby resources in preparation for heavy rain and possible power outages in Southeast and East Texas.
Ida is projected to be a Category 4 hurricane, with top winds of 140 mph (225 kph), and is predicted to make landfall in Louisiana on the exact anniversary of Hurricane Katrina 16 years earlier, the Associated Press reported. On Friday, Ida intensified from a tropical storm to a hurricane with top winds of 80 mph (128 kph) as it crossed western Cuba and is expected to continue intensifying, according to the AP.
While the hurricane’s path is not projected to cross into Texas, heavy rain, high winds, flooding and extended power outages could impact Southeast and East Texas, according to a statement by the Office of the Texas Governor. For flood safety tips, visit the Texas Hurricane Center webpage.
“We will continue to closely monitor this hurricane and take all necessary precautions to keep Texans safe,” Abbott said.
Here are the resources the Texas Division of Emergency Management has ready at the request of local officials:
- Texas A&M Forest Service: Saw crews and incident management teams.
- Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service: Swift water boat squads, and Texas Task Force Two Search and Rescue teams.
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Boat teams to support water rescue operations.
- Texas Military Department: Helicopters, sheltering teams and high profile vehicle packages.
- Texas Department of State Health Services: Emergency Medical Task Force severe weather packages and Ambulance Strike Teams.
- Texas Department of Transportation: Monitoring road conditions, prepositioned water-filled barriers.
- Texas Department of Public Safety – Texas Highway Patrol: search and rescue aircraft with hoist capability and the Tactical Marine Unit.
- Public Utility Commission: Power outage monitoring and coordination with utility providers.
- Texas Health and Human Services Commission: Water and ice contracts.
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Public drinking water and waste water facility monitoring.
This story was originally published August 28, 2021 at 9:04 AM.
