Governor Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare additional emergency response resources. This comes as West Texas faces high wildfire danger and most of the state remains at elevated risk heading into the weekend, according to the Office of the Texas Governor.
Governor Abbott stated, "The State of Texas continues to monitor the heightened wildfire threats that are impacting large portions of the state," and directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare additional resources to assist with potential wildfire outbreaks. Dry conditions, strong winds, and low humidity have increased the risk, with the Texas A&M Forest Service warning that most of the state faces wildfire danger, especially in the High Plains and Hill Country. The National Weather Service said current conditions could result in a Southern Plains Wildfire Outbreak. Texas is at Wildland Fire Preparedness Level 3, indicating active wildfire threats due to drought and frequent fire weather events. "Due to the unpredictable nature of wildfires, I directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to ready additional emergency response resources to assist local communities with any wildfire outbreaks," Abbott added. Texans are advised to create emergency plans, avoid fire-starting activities, and follow local advisories, as reported by the Office of the Texas Governor.
The Texas State Emergency Operations Center is at Level II (Escalated Response) with over 750 state emergency responders and 300 pieces of equipment from more than 16 agencies deployed. Resources include firefighters, firefighting aircraft, helicopters, and Texas Highway Patrol Troopers to assist motorists in fire zones. Texans are advised to avoid spark-inducing activities, create an emergency plan, follow local officials' instructions, and keep emergency resources accessible. More information is available at TexasReady.gov, tdem.texas.gov/prepare, and tfsweb.tamu.edu, as stated by the Office of the Texas Governor.
