Governor issues disaster declaration for 134 counties, including El Paso
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 134 counties ahead of this weekend's expected winter storm. El Paso, Hudspeth and Culberson Counties are on the list.
The storm is anticipated to bring snow and cold temperatures.
“Whenever we go through any type of disaster, job number one is always protecting lives,” said Governor Abbott. "Because of the severity of this storm, right now I am making a disaster declaration covering 134 counties across the state of Texas to make sure that every possible resource can be made available to those communities so the state can respond quicker, faster, and better than ever before. We have an outstanding team that is already prepared, already responding, to make sure that, even though we're going to go through a harsh winter storm, we're going to make it through this process."
Abbott encouraged Texans to stay off the roads, and touted the updated ERCOT grid capabilities. After a severe winter storm in 2021, the grid had widespread issues that left millions of Texans without power for days.
"Governor Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to increase the readiness level of the Texas State Operations Center to Level II (Escalated Response). Earlier this week, Governor Abbott directed TDEM to activate state emergency response resources in anticipation of severe winter weather."
