Abbott Issues Disaster Declaration for 101 Texas Counties Amid Severe Storm and Flooding Threat

Storms prompt largest Texas disaster declaration in recent months

Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration Monday covering 101 Texas counties as a relentless severe storm system — already underway since Sunday — continues to pound the state with heavy rainfall, flash flooding, hazardous wind gusts, large hail, and tornado threats.houstonpublicmedia The declaration encompasses much of Central, South, and Southeast Texas, including densely populated Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston, and Brazoria counties that collectively include millions of Texans.khou Officials noted the count of covered counties could expand further as the weather system tracks across the state.ktbs

What the declaration unlocks

The formal disaster declaration grants local officials and communities immediate access to the full suite of state resources and emergency funding.khou In conjunction with the order, Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to implement 24-hour operations at the Texas State Emergency Operations Center.houstonpublicmedia +1 The governor had already instructed TDEM last week to begin activating resources in anticipation of the incoming flood threat, meaning the state's emergency machinery was partially in motion before the storm fully arrived.khou

"Texas is prepared to respond to the severe weather threats that continue to move across our state," Abbott said in a statement.houstonpublicmedia "Texans should heed the guidance of state and local officials and take all necessary precautions to stay safe during this severe weather."khou

Widespread hazards from Houston to the Hill Country

The storm system is producing a combination of threats rarely seen at such scale simultaneously: torrential rain driving flash flooding across river basins, damaging straight-line winds, large hail, and an active tornado threat stretching from the Houston metro inland toward the Hill Country and Deep East Texas.ktbs Angelina, Polk, and Sabine counties — traditionally hit hard by East Texas flooding — are among the areas covered under the expanded declaration.ktbs

Residents across the region are urged to avoid driving through any flooded roadway, a behavior that officials say accounts for the majority of flood-related deaths each year. Up-to-date road conditions are available at DriveTexas.org, and emergency preparedness guidance can be found at TexasReady.gov and tdem.texas.gov/prepare.khou