AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott discussed what state officials are doing to prepare for a disturbance being monitored in the Gulf of Mexico and urged residents to prepare for the worst.
Forecasters said a tropical depression is expected to form in the eastern Gulf by early Thursday, but the track still remains a bit uncertain.
"It is impossible right now to know exactly how severe this storm will become and exactly where it will go," Abbott said.
Hurricane hunters are scheduled to investigate the disturbance Wednesday afternoon.
While most forecast models call for landfall somewhere in Louisiana this weekend, the data collected by the hurricane hunters will help refine those predictions.
"Right now what we are looking at in Texas from the highest level of probability is going to be a very meaningful rain event, and hence a potential flooding event for various locations," Abbott said. "With that in mind, we want to make sure that the state of Texas is doing all we can to prepare in advance for the storm."
Here's a list of the state departments and resources, according to the governor:
- The state emergency response center has been elevated to make sure all tools, resources and personnel are ready to respond to the storm, to maintain safety and to protect property.
- The Texas Task Force 1 has been activated. They are on standby with four high-water rescue boat squads and two high-profile vehicles.
- The Texas A&M Forest Service has three incident management teams activated, which includes three saw squads and three planting teams.
- The Texas Department of Public Safety has nearly 700 troopers on standby ready to be deployed, five aircraft and numerous high-profile vehicles.
- The Texas Military Department has two ground search-and-rescue platoons, which include 20 high-profile vehicles, 50 personnel, and rescue aircraft as needed.
- The Texas Wildlife and Parks Department has four search-and-rescue boats, 24 trucks, 12 combination boat/airboats and nearly 30 personnel.
- The Texas Department of Transportation has 160 personnel ready to deploy.
- The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is monitoring any potential environmental impact.
- The Department of Health Services has raised its level of awareness and is getting medical shelters and mobile medical units ready.
As always, it is important to have a hurricane plan ready to go when living in Southeast Texas. For more information on how to be prepared, visit the Hurricane Headquarters section at Click2Houston.com/hurricane.
Now is a good time to download our Hurricane Tracker app. It will give you real-time updates if a system develops in the Gulf.
Other helpful links: