El Paso County Judge To Issue Local Declaration Of Disaster Due To Drought And Wildfire Danger

El Paso County Judge Veronica Escobar will issue a Declaration of Local Disaster for El Paso County on Monday, June 11, due to severe drought conditions.

Escobar’s declaration prohibits the sale, use and possession of any and all fireworks or pyrotechnics within El Paso County for 60 hours. The ban would not affect any professional displays within the municipalities or Fort Bliss.

Escobar is asking that Governor Rick Perry use his authority to extend this suspension past 60 hours and at least until the termination of the Statewide Drought Declaration or until July 5, 2012, whichever comes latest.

For several weeks El Paso County has not experienced appreciable rainfall according to the National Weather Service office in Santa Teresa, NM. Existing drought conditions, with a Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) between 680-700, indicates that El Paso County currently falls under the extreme category with forecast not set to improve anytime soon.

Escobar has called a special Commissioners Court meeting for 2:30 pm on Wednesday, June 13 in order to discuss the Commissioners Court extending the Emergency Declaration of Local Disaster issued by the County Judge on June 11, contingent on the governor’s extension to ban the sale and use of fireworks in unincorporated areas of El Paso County past 60 hours. Statutorily, such a ban must occur prior to June 15.

“I issued the declaration of disaster as a result of the dangerous fire conditions stemming from high winds and a lack of precipitation leading to dry vegetation. El Paso County is taking the necessary steps to prevent any accidents that could be catastrophic to our community. In addition to the dangerous conditions, we have limited resources for battling fires. We depend on volunteer fire departments for safety in the unincorporated areas, and we have limited access to water as well. I understand that banning the sale and use of fireworks negatively impacts vendors, but the safety of our community must come first. As we have seen in other parts of Texas and other states, wildfires start quickly and can be the cause of extraordinary damage. I hope our community understands that issuing the declaration of local disaster is purely based on my intent to keep our community safe during these harsh drought conditions,” Escobar said in a news release.