Governor Abbott tours hurricane resource staging area in Houston

Governor Greg Abbott toured a resource staging area at NRG Park in Houston today, expressing gratitude to first responders working tirelessly during Hurricane Beryl. Following the tour, Governor Abbott held a briefing and press conference with state and local officials at NRG Arena to update on the state's ongoing response and recovery efforts.

“I had the opportunity today to visit with more than a hundred emergency responders from the state’s Emergency Medical Task Force who came to this region to assist and support their fellow Texans,” said Governor Abbott. “Working collaboratively with our local partners is crucial for an effective response to any severe weather event, and Texas was able to work a week in advance with the City of Houston and other local officials to be ready for Hurricane Beryl. Everyone should be prepared for severe weather events, including during hurricane season. That is why the lack of power provided by CenterPoint compromises our No. 1 goal: protecting life. Texas will continue our efforts to work with local officials to provide resources and assistance—including water, ice, and ready-to-eat meals—to Texans in need until CenterPoint gets the power back on.”

Joining the Governor were Mayor John Whitmire, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, Public Utility Commission of Texas Chairman Thomas Gleeson, among other state and local officials.

The Governor also announced the suspension of the seven-day waiting period for certain unemployment insurance claimants. This measure aims to expedite benefits for workers partially or totally unemployed due to Hurricane Beryl.

Yesterday, Governor Abbott demanded that CenterPoint take immediate action to improve their hurricane preparation and response efforts following repeated power failures in Greater Houston. The Governor requested that CenterPoint provide an action plan by July 31, 2024:

- Detail plans for removing vegetation threatening power lines.

- Specify preparations ahead of any tropical storm entering the Gulf Coast.

- Outline actions for pre-staging linemen and personnel for immediate response.

Texas continues supporting affected communities by providing resources such as personnel, generators, tarps, fuel, meals, water, and ice. To date, over 5 million bottles of water, more than 834 thousand hot meals and ready-to-eat meals, and over 216 thousand bags of ice have been distributed.

Texans are encouraged to submit online damage surveys using the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT) available at damage.tdem.texas.gov in English or Spanish. The iSTAT tool helps emergency management identify resource needs but does not replace insurance claims or guarantee disaster relief assistance.

The State of Texas remains active in providing resources post-Hurricane Beryl:

- July 2: Texas Emergency Management Officials urge vigilance over Gulf conditions.

- July 3: Governor Abbott directs TDEM advisory notice issuance.

- July 4: Readiness level increased at State Emergency Operations Center.

- July 5: Acting Governor Patrick issues disaster declaration for 40 counties.

- July 6: Disaster declaration extended to additional counties.

- July 7–14: Series of updates from state officials on ongoing response efforts.