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Governor Abbott tours Hurricane Beryl Resource Staging Area in Houston | texasinsider

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“Everyone needs to be prepared for severe weather, especially during hurricane season, which is why the lack of power provided by CenterPoint compromises our No. 1 goal: protecting life.”

– Governor Greg Abbott

Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – ​​​​​​​Governor Greg Abbott toured a resource staging area at NRG Park in Houston and thanked first responders who worked around the clock to help their fellow Texans throughout Hurricane Beryl. Following the tour, Governor Abbott held a briefing and press conference with state and local officials at NRG Arena to provide an update on the state’s ongoing response and recovery efforts to Hurricane Beryl.

“I had the opportunity today to meet with over 100 first responders from the state’s Emergency Medical Task Force who have come to this area to assist and support their fellow Texans,” Governor Abbott said“Working collaboratively with our local partners is critical to 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 prepared for Hurricane Beryl.

“Everyone must prepare for extreme weather events, especially during hurricane season. That’s why the lack of power provided by CenterPoint compromises our No. 1 goal: protecting lives. Texas will continue its efforts to work with local authorities to provide resources and assistance, including water, ice and ready-to-eat meals, to Texans in need until CenterPoint restores power.”

The governor was joined by Mayor John Whitmire, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, Texas Public Utilities Commission Chairman Thomas Gleeson and other state and local officials.

The governor also announcement Waiving the seven-day waiting period for certain unemployment insurance claimants. This will speed up the process for workers and employees who become partially or fully unemployed due to Hurricane Beryl to receive benefits if they are eligible.

Yesterday, Governor Abbott requested CenterPoint take immediate steps to enhance their hurricane preparedness and response efforts following the repeated and ongoing power outages in the Greater Houston area. The Governor directed CenterPoint to provide the Governor’s Office with the following action plan by July 31, 2024 to address the power supply issues:

  • CenterPoint must provide details on how it plans to remove any vegetation that threatens a power line.

  • CenterPoint must clarify how it will prepare for any tropical storms hitting the Gulf Coast.

  • CenterPoint shall specify the steps it will take to prepare sufficient linemen and other personnel to respond immediately to any power outages that may occur in the event of a tropical storm hitting its service area.

Texas continues to support local communities by providing resources and assistance to impacted areas, including personnel, generators, tarps, fuel, ready-to-eat meals, water and ice. To date, Texas has distributed more than 5,362,000 bottles of water, more than 834,000 hot and prepared meals, and more than 216,000 bags of ice to communities across Texas.

Texans are encouraged to submit online damage surveys to report damage to homes and businesses using the State of Texas Damage Assessment Tool (iSTAT). iSTAT surveys can be completed in English and Spanish by visiting damage.tdem.texas.gov and clicking on “July 7 – Hurricane/Tropical Storm Beryl in progress”.

The information captured in the iSTAT Damage Survey helps emergency management officials identify immediate resource needs and determine whether the state meets federal requirements for various forms of federal disaster assistance. Reporting damage through the iSTAT tool is voluntary, does not replace reporting damage to your insurance company, and does not guarantee disaster assistance. English and Spanish tutorial videos on how to complete the iSTAT surveys are available at: damage.tdem.texas.gov.

The State of Texas continues to take steps to provide all available resources to help support local communities dealing with the impacts of Hurricane Beryl, including:

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