Governor Greg Abbott delivered an update today on Texas’ ongoing efforts to address severe winter weather sweeping across the state. Speaking from the State Operations Center in Austin, the Governor urged Texans to prepare for freezing temperatures, rain, sleet, freezing rain, and snow expected to persist over the next several days. He was joined by state leaders, including Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd, Texas Department of Transportation Deputy Executive Director Brian Barth, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) CEO Pablo Vegas, and Public Utility Commission Chair Thomas Gleeson. During the update Governor Abbott outlined the state’s coordinated response and provided critical safety advice for residents.

 

 

Texans were urged to avoid unnecessary travel due to hazardous road conditions caused by snow and ice, particularly in areas like North and Northeast Texas, West Texas, the Big Country, the Concho Valley, and the Northern Hill Country. Governor Abbott encouraged Texans to stay weather-aware, avoid exposure to freezing temperatures, and utilize one of the 300+ warming centers available statewide. He also advised residents to have contact information for their local power providers in case of outages.

In preparation for this storm, Governor Abbott elevated the readiness level of the Texas State Operations Center to Level II (Escalated Response) and activated emergency resources earlier this week. More than 3,400 state personnel and 1,860 vehicles and equipment assets are actively deployed, along with 21 state agencies, to support winter weather response efforts.

Winter storm safety tips can be found HERE.
Road Conditions can be checked at Drive Texas. 
Warming centers can be found Here (English) and Here (Spanish)

For more information on disaster preparedness you can watch our episode of Hello Austin County featuring Stephen Burnett, Texas AgriLife DAR (Disaster Assessment and Recovery) agent.

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