Gov. Greg Abbott activates emergency resources ahead of possible flooding, storms this weekend | FOX 7 Austin

Gov. Greg Abbott activates emergency resources ahead of possible flooding, storms this weekend

 Photographer: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Governor Greg Abbott ordered the Texas Division of Emergency Management to activate state emergency response resources with increased threats of severe weather and flash flooding across the state this weekend.

Weekend Weather

Why you should care:

Heavy rainfall could cause flash flooding in North Texas and across the state starting tonight and going through Saturday.

Severe storms could bring hail, strong winds and even tornadoes.

Some areas in the Panhandle could see snowfall this weekend.

Texas Emergency Resources Activated

On Friday, Gov. Abbott activated more than 700 emergency responders and 300 pieces of equipment across the state to be ready for any severe weather.

The resources will go in place to help local units.

  • Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (Texas A&M Task Force 1 and Texas Task Force 2): Swiftwater Rescue Boat Squads, and Flood Water Boat Squads
  • Texas Division of Emergency Management: The State of Texas Incident Management Team, Incident Support Task Force, Disaster Recovery Task Force, and regional personnel to support deployed emergency response resources across the state
  • Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Game Wardens, rescue boat teams, and helicopters with hoist capability to assist with flood rescues
  • Texas Department of Public Safety: Helicopters with hoist capabilities, Texas Highway Patrol Troopers, and the Tactical Marine Unit
  • Texas National Guard: Personnel and high-profile vehicles to assist stranded motorists
  • Texas A&M Forest Service (Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System): Local, state, and out of state firefighters and support personnel, fire engines, bulldozers, and motor graders; federally contracted firefighting aircraft, including large air tankers for retardant drops, single-engine air tankers for water drops, air attack platforms for surveillance and spotting, helicopters with firefighting capability, fire bosses and an aerial supervision module for aerial guidance
  • Texas Department of State Health Services (Texas Emergency Medical Task Force): Severe Weather and Wildland Fire Support Packages consisting of medics, ambulances, and all-terrain vehicles
  • Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Disaster Assessment and Recovery Agents as well as County Extension Agents to support agricultural and livestock needs
  • Texas Animal Health Commission: Coordinating animal resource needs
  • Texas Department of Agriculture: Coordinating agricultural resource needs
  • Texas Department of Transportation: Personnel monitoring road conditions and pretreating roadways
  • Public Utility Commission of Texas: Power outage monitoring and coordination with utility providers
  • Railroad Commission of Texas: Monitoring of the state’s natural gas supply and communication with the oil and gas industry
  • Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Air/water/wastewater monitoring
  • Texas Health and Human Services Commission: Personnel to provide information on available services through the 2-1-1 Texas Information Referral Network
  • Texas Department of Information Resources: Monitoring technology infrastructure

The Source: Information in this article comes from the FOX 4 Weather team and the Office of Governor Greg Abbott.

WeatherGreg AbbottTexas