HOUSTON – Acting Governor Dan Patrick has issued disaster declarations for dozens of Texas counties on Friday ahead of Hurricane Beryl’s landfall.
“As Hurricane Beryl approaches the Texas coast, now is the time for Texans to make their final preparations to protect themselves and their property. 121 counties are already under state disaster declaration, and more may be added if conditions warrant. Beryl is expected to intensify right up to landfall and could transform into a Category 2 Hurricane. Landfall is expected early Monday morning between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. between Corpus Christi and Galveston. Beryl is a resilient storm, and it poses a serious threat for Texans in its path at landfall and the following 24 hours as it moves through Texas. The storm’s predicted path is shifting east, and the areas east of the I-35 corridor are expected to bear the brunt of the inclement weather. Residents sheltering in place should take precautions right away for sustained wind, heavy rain, flooding, storm surges on the coast, and possible tornados,” Patrick said. “It is of utmost importance that Texans pay close attention to their local officials. As Acting Governor, I am in constant communication with state agencies and will continue to do so. Do not ignore this very serious storm.”
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These are the following counties:
- Aransas
- Atascosa
- Bee
- Bexar
- Brooks
- Calhoun
- Cameron
- DeWitt
- Dimmit
- Duval
- Frio
- Goliad
- Gonzales
- Hidalgo
- Jackson
- Jim Hogg
- Jim Wells
- Karnes
- Kenedy
- Kinney
- Kleberg
- LaSalle
- Lavaca
- Live Oak
- Matagorda
- Maverick
- McMullen
- Medina
- Nueces
- Refugio
- San Patricio
- Starr
- Uvalde
- Victoria
- Webb
- Wharton
- Willacy
- Wilson
- Zapata
- Zavala.
On Saturday, Patrick added 81 additional counties to the list, citing changes to Beryl’s projected track and landfall location.
The new counties added to the disaster declaration include the following:
Anderson, Angelina, Austin, Bastrop, Bell, Bowie, Brazoria, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Camp, Cass, Chambers, Cherokee, Collin, Colorado, Comal, Dallas, Delta, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Fort Bend, Franklin, Freestone, Galveston, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Hardin, Harris, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jasper, Jefferson, Kaufman, Lamar, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Limestone, Madison, Marion, McLennan, Milam, Montgomery, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Rains, Red River, Robertson, Rockwall, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Smith, Titus, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Walker, Waller, Washington, Williamson, and Wood counties.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Beryl is expected to intensify as it moves northwest through the Gulf of Mexico, before it takes a northerly turn to make landfall along the mid-Texas coast as a hurricane on Monday. Interests in Texas should closely monitor this system and finalize preparations for hurricane impacts, including heavy rainfall, flooding, potential tornadoes, and damaging winds as the system moves inland across the state.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) increased the readiness level of the State Emergency Operations Center as of 10 a.m. Friday and Texas Emergency Management Council agencies are working 24-hour operations, while also continuing to pre-position state emergency response resources that were readied for deployment by Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday.
Additional counties may be added as conditions warrant.