Texas Gov. Directs Emergency Prep for Tropical Storm Francine

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(TNS) — Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare for additional state emergency response resources ahead of potential impacts from Tropical Storm Francine, which could form soon in the Gulf of Mexico.

This comes as CenterPoint Energy representatives announced they were monitoring and preparing for severe weather as a way to avoid widespread power outages such as those following Hurricane Beryl this summer.

According to the National Weather Service, a storm system moving through the Gulf of Mexico is likely to develop into a tropical storm, then to a hurricane before it arrives on the Gulf Coast. According to Houston Chronicle’s meteorologist Justin Ballard, heavy rain could come to the Houston area, with the potential for localized flooding.

“Texas stands ready to provide all available resources needed to support Texans as a severe storm system begins to move along the Gulf Coast that will bring potential flash flooding threats and heavy rain,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement, noting the state’s division of emergency management would be deployed Monday morning. “Texans are urged to take the necessary precautions for potential tropical weather, including remaining weather aware, monitoring road conditions and having an emergency plan to ensure safety of themselves and their loved ones.”

The Texas Division of Emergency Management issued an activation notice to the Texas Emergency Management Council agencies, increasing readiness level of the Texas State Operations Center to a 24-hour escalated response operations, a news release stated.

Additional resources include search and rescue boat teams, helicopters with hoist capabilities, medical support teams, saw crews, support for agriculture and livestock needs, and teams to monitor road conditions and outages. These resources come from several agencies including the state’s department of public safety, transportation, health services; Texas National Guard, Texas A&M, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Public Utility Commission of Texas, Railroad Commission of Texas and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

The tropical wave had been in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche as of Sunday afternoon, the same time experts suggested the disturbance had a 90% chance of developing into a tropical depression or storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

CenterPoint announced over the weekend that it was taking several steps to prepare for possible severe weather, including prepping crews and equipment, securing work sites and securing additional resources from mutual assistance companies, the company said in a news release. Additionally, the company reminded customers to follow natural gas and electric safety guidelines as well as prepare themselves and their homes for severe weather by assembling a storm preparedness kit, which includes supplies like flashlights, water, nonperishable food items, flashlights and a first aid kit.

Individuals who require electricity for life-sustaining equipment are encouraged to make separate arrangements to ensure they have power, according to the news release.

“We have a plan to address this potential storm, and we are executing our plan,” said Darin Carroll, senior vice president of electric business, in the news release. “Although the exact path and intensity of this potential storm are still unclear, we want to assure our customers that we are preparing for impact. We encourage everyone across the Greater Houston area and the larger Gulf Coast region to get their plans in place now for their families, loved ones, homes and businesses.”

Houston Mayor John Whitmire said Sunday the city was “positioning our resources to ensure we are fully prepared for any scenario.”

“Our readiness efforts include pre-positioning generators, deploying high-water rescue vehicles, and ensuring increased staffing levels across essential departments,” Whitmire said in a statement. “We are also collaborating closely with our community partners to maximize the efficiency of our response, should the need arise.”

To check for road conditions, people are encouraged to visit DrveTexas.org, access additional preparedness tips at TexasReady.gov and to find general disaster preparedness information at tdem.texas.gov/prepare.