Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R-TX) holds a briefing on Hurricane Beryl.
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NewsTranscript
00:00My name is Dan Patrick.
00:06I'm the Lieutenant Governor of Texas and
00:09acting governor for most of the last week and the
00:11coming week as we deal with Hurricane Burrow.
00:15The governor is on a preplanned trip, economic
00:19trip for Texas, and we are in touch and we have been
00:23in touch.
00:24But it's our responsibility here in
00:26Texas to prepare everyone for this hurricane.
00:30It's still a tropical storm as we speak, but it
00:32will be a hurricane, and it will strengthen most
00:36likely, and it will be a deadly storm for people
00:39who are directly in that path.
00:41And that's what we want to talk about today.
00:45Coastal, inland, and the Houston area are the three
00:48areas that I see that I want to be sure everyone
00:51is alert.
00:53Yesterday, I declared an additional 81 counties in
00:56the disaster area, so we are now at 120 counties in
01:00the disaster area.
01:01You may ask why.
01:03One of the reasons is as this storm moves, and the
01:06good news is that it looks like it will move quickly
01:09through the state.
01:10If you'll remember Harvey many years ago, that storm
01:12hung around for days at a time because it slowed down
01:15dumping rain on rain and rain.
01:17This will be a heavy rain event, but the storm will
01:19move quickly, at least as the forecast is right now,
01:21and that is subject to change, but it will go up
01:24through the state.
01:25So, areas like College Station could see
01:27significant rain and flooding, so could Tyler,
01:31Texarkana, and other communities.
01:33Once again, that's on this track.
01:35If this track moves, which it often does in the last
01:3912 hours to 15 hours of a hurricane coming ashore,
01:43then all communities inland should be prepared for
01:45heavy rain and potential flooding, and that's why
01:48you need to listen to your local officials, as well
01:51as your local forecast for where you live.
01:53On the coast, we have thousands upon thousands
01:57upon thousands of people who are spending their
01:59summer vacation there, a holiday weekend on top of
02:02that, and there is a concern that because
02:05they're not in their daily routine of watching the
02:08news, or checking their internet, or checking their
02:10emails, that they may not be aware of this storm.
02:13One of the things that kind of trigger our concern a
02:16little bit, we've looked at all of the roads leaving
02:18the coast, and the maps are still green, so we don't
02:21see many people leaving, and what you will hear from
02:24our chief of our emergency management team, and I'm
02:26kidding, a few moments, is that you don't want to be
02:29on the road tomorrow.
02:31Tomorrow will be a bad day for weather.
02:33This storm is predicted right now by the National
02:36Hurricane Center to land somewhere between Corpus
02:40Christi and Galveston Island.
02:43So, if you're at Galveston, you may say,
02:45what's down in Corpus?
02:46If you're at Corpus, you're saying, gee, it's coming
02:48right here.
02:49This can change, and very often will change, as we've
02:52seen from past storms.
02:53The National Hurricane Center actually says their
02:56average change of where they predict a storm to
02:58fall, and where it falls, can be 50 to 60 miles in the
03:02last 12 to 15 hours.
03:04So, we could see movement on this storm, but right now,
03:07if you're between Corpus and Galveston, be prepared.
03:11Be prepared, as we are trying to prepare here.
03:13Look, our number one mission in the state, and
03:17M-Kids' number one mission, and your local
03:19mayors, and your local county judges and officials
03:21is to save your life.
03:23That's number one.
03:24Property can be rebuilt, but lives cannot be.
03:28This storm has already left nine deaths in its path
03:31through the Caribbean.
03:32We don't want number 10 to be in Texas.
03:35And so, what can you do to help us help you?
03:38Number one, again, if you're moving, today's the
03:40day to move away from those areas.
03:42If you're concerned where the storm is, at least
03:45there's an area hurricane warning, as well as a watch,
03:49along that coastal area we've discussed.
03:52Number two, if you're staying in place, be sure
03:56you're prepared.
03:57You don't want to have to go out tomorrow to get
03:58water, or food, or put gas in your car.
04:02It would be a good thing to do it today.
04:04Third, if you do venture out, which we strongly
04:08advise against, as we always do, do not drive
04:11through flooded roadways.
04:12There will be some serious flooding.
04:14Now, this is a narrow storm.
04:16It's not a big, broad storm.
04:18But where it's going to hit, and if it is a hurricane two,
04:22it's predicted to be a hurricane one, but it could
04:24grow to a two, that gets your wind level up pretty high,
04:28plus the gust.
04:30You're gonna see a lot of problems in those specific areas.
04:35But rain is going to be everywhere, and flooding
04:38could be everywhere, and a storm surge from Corpus
04:41to Galveston Island.
04:42So, a lot to watch for.
04:45I know, from my own life experience, well, they always
04:48predict more, and they say more, and then nothing happens.
04:51Let's pray nothing happens where you live.
04:54But something is going to happen where some of you live.
04:57And that something will be significant when significant
05:00rain and some flooding, and again, surge along the coast.
05:03So, help us help you.
05:06We are prepared, and we have been preparing for the
05:07last week, and we are now looking at being ready
05:13to go into our recovery mode next.
05:15And that will begin once this storm hits landfall.
05:18So, landfall is predicted tonight.
05:20You'll start seeing winds pick up, some rain coming
05:22into some of these areas.
05:24Landfall sometime, three or four in the morning,
05:26depending where it falls, up until six or seven
05:28in the morning.
05:29The storm could be out of the area, maybe by late
05:32tomorrow afternoon, or tomorrow night, if it doesn't
05:35slow down, and then it will go up through the inland
05:37part of the state, and hopefully be gone out of here
05:40by Tuesday afternoon or Tuesday evening, or maybe
05:43a little sooner if it keeps moving at its current pace.
05:45But it's a serious storm, and you must take it
05:49seriously and be prepared.
05:52One thing I would say, lastly, before I turn it over
05:55to Nim, is many of you who are watching now have
05:58friends and family who live on the coast, or who are
06:02visiting the coast.
06:04Call them, text them, email them.
06:06Look, the media is very important to get the word out.
06:10We count on that, but call your friends and your
06:13family members and say, hey, by the way, do you know
06:14that Hurricane Beryl is coming to your area?
06:18We're not exactly sure between Corpus and Galveston
06:20where it's gonna hit, and there's gonna be flooding,
06:22and you're not gonna be able to drive tomorrow.
06:24Be sure they know, because a lot of people are on vacation,
06:28like I say, not watching the storm, or they hear,
06:30well, it's a tropical storm, which it is now,
06:32but it's gonna strengthen to a hurricane very soon,
06:35or it's a category one.
06:37Trust me, you don't wanna be in a category one.
06:40You're looking at winds 85, 90 miles an hour.
06:43You don't wanna be in that.
06:44You don't wanna be in six and 12 inches of rain.
06:45You don't wanna be in flooding.
06:47So help us help everyone along the coast for sure,
06:51and those inland be watching out as well,
06:54as well as Houston.
06:55That storm could keep moving that way.
06:58NMCIT is the best in the country.
06:59We have the best emergency management team in the country.
07:02We have been through so many storms in Texas,
07:05and I'm gonna turn it over to him to give you more detail,
07:08but I'm very confident that Texas is ready.
07:10Your local officials are ready.
07:12I've talked to a lot of them.
07:13Nim has talked to a lot of them.
07:14I just want you to be ready.
07:16Nim?
07:17Thank you, Governor.
07:18As Governor Patrick mentioned,
07:19we have about six hours
07:21before the first tropical storm force winds
07:24line up somewhere along the Texas coast.
07:26Now is the time to make your final preparations
07:29in responding to this threat.
07:31There will be power outages.
07:35Let that be known.
07:36There's gonna be someplace in Texas
07:38that with these tropical and hurricane force winds,
07:40we are gonna have power outages.
07:42Now is the time to make sure
07:43that all of your devices are charged up,
07:45that your phones are charged up,
07:46your computers are charged up,
07:48and that you have fuel in your vehicles.
07:50We have been in contact with every county judge
07:52along the Texas coast and their emergency management teams.
07:54Our agency has people in their emergency operations center.
07:58We have prepared search and rescue teams,
08:00emergency medical support teams,
08:02and we've also anticipated power outages
08:04for those that are power dependent,
08:07and so that's very important.
08:08If you have a family member that requires electricity
08:10for their lifelines at their homes
08:13to make sure that you've checked on them,
08:15it's not too late.
08:16You have a few more hours to get them to a safe place.
08:19We've encouraged our local partners
08:21to check in with their debris contractors.
08:22The faster we get debris cleaned up,
08:24the faster we get back on the road to recovery,
08:26and for you personally, it's not too late
08:28to make sure you have all of the documents
08:30your insurance company is going to require
08:32that you have them able to find.
08:35Most importantly, heed the warning of your local officials
08:39and stay tuned to your local meteorologist
08:41because this path will likely change before landfall.
08:46I'm gonna quickly run through
08:47some of the state agency resources
08:48that are supporting our local partners
08:50as we, in preparation, move into response
08:52and prepare for recovery.
08:54The Texas Division of Emergency Management
08:56has staff supporting our local EOCs and staging areas,
08:59as well as talking to the 911 call centers,
09:02cellular service providers, amateur radio operators,
09:05and satellite communications.
09:07Texas A&M Forest Service has all hazard strike teams,
09:10which are local government firefighters
09:11from across the state.
09:13They are staged, ready to support those local governments
09:15that are impacted.
09:16They have incident management teams available,
09:18as well as SAW crews to help us with debris cleanup.
09:21The AgriLife Extension Service and Animal Health Commission
09:24are working with our livestock partners
09:26to make sure that livestock and all of their equipment
09:28are out of the way,
09:29and any animal shelter issues that we have.
09:31Texas A&M Task Force One has structural
09:33urban search and rescue teams and theater,
09:36as well as our swift water rescue boats,
09:38swimmers for our aircraft
09:40that you'll hear about in a few minutes,
09:41and then our medical support teams.
09:43Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
09:45has staff ready to support water, wastewater,
09:47and public drinking water systems.
09:49TxDOT has road crews that are out right now
09:52making sure all the transportation lanes are open,
09:55that the storm drains are open,
09:57and they're ready to assist in evacuation of motorists
09:59for those that get stranded
10:00or run out of fuel along the highways.
10:03Department of Information Resources
10:04making sure that all of our cybersecurity systems are up.
10:07The Department of Public Safety
10:08has Highway Patrol out in force.
10:10All of their aircraft are available for us,
10:12as well as their Marine Unit.
10:14Texas Parks and Wildlife Game Wardens and their boats
10:16are out in force,
10:17as well as their state police from their parks.
10:20Department of State Health Services
10:21has rostered the Emergency Medical Task Force,
10:24which is over 50 ambulances, seven A.M. buses,
10:2625 missed personnel,
10:28and 10 medics to go on additional buses.
10:30These are staged to help if we have to evacuate
10:33any hospital, nursing home, or assisted living facility.
10:36Texas Military Department
10:37has almost 300 people in the field today
10:39that are for ground transportation units.
10:41They will help us do high water evacuations if that's needed.
10:45They have their aircraft that we're able to do rescue with,
10:47and they are already in position
10:49to do point of distribution or pod distributions
10:52for those areas that do have power outages
10:54or may have water issues.
10:55Finally, I want to thank
10:56our volunteer organizations, Active in Disaster,
10:58the Red Cross, the Salvation Army,
11:00and all of those VOAD partners that will come in
11:02and help us do cleanup after the fact.
11:05Public Utility Commission has been working hard
11:07with the electric co-ops in the area,
11:09as well as AEP and CenterPoint,
11:11to make sure that state agencies and personnel are ready.
11:14There will be power outages.
11:16We have medical assets that are available.
11:18There will be inland flooding.
11:20And what we find is this freshwater inland flooding
11:22tends to be more of a killer of our citizens
11:26than the actual storm surge.
11:27So please, please do not drive through water,
11:30turn around, don't drown.
11:31Thank you, Governor.
11:33Thank you, Nim.
11:33Two other things I want to be sure to mention,
11:35rip currents.
11:38We're seeing on social media
11:39and on the cameras along the coast,
11:41there are a lot of people still in the water,
11:43and these rip currents are deadly.
11:45In fact, there's a warning
11:48all the way across the entire Gulf Coast.
11:49This storm is going to impact rip currents,
11:51even in Florida and Alabama and Mississippi and Louisiana.
11:56So it's not smart to be in the water today
12:03or tomorrow or the day after.
12:06Deadly.
12:07We've already had a number of people drown
12:09before this storm in Texas because of rip currents
12:11and around the Gulf Coast.
12:14So please, if you're in the water,
12:18even knee-deep can get you out there.
12:20So be very careful.
12:21Secondly, on the roads,
12:23if you drive up to a road and you see water
12:26and you're not sure of how deep it is,
12:28but you say, well, there's no barrier there,
12:31well, the barriers may have been blown away
12:33or TxDOT couldn't get there because of the storm
12:36to put the barriers there.
12:37So just don't drive across a road
12:40where you don't know the bottom
12:41because your car will just, in a few feet of water,
12:44you'll be drifting down the river.
12:46So please be careful.
12:48Those are, as Nim said, the flooding after the fact.
12:51Let me give you this.
12:52And we will have rain, by the way,
12:54after the storm goes through.
12:56Again, we hope it continues to be a fast-moving storm,
12:5910, 12, 13 miles an hour.
13:01But we're going to have tropical rain continuing
13:04probably for a number of days in some of the areas
13:07for the week.
13:08So that can pour on top of the rain we get
13:10and still cause flooding inland.
13:13Go to TDEM, T-D-E-M, TDEM, slash Texas,
13:18I'm sorry, dot Texas, dot gov slash Beryl.
13:22So TDEM, T-D-E-M, dot Texas, spell it out,
13:26dot gov slash Beryl, B-E-R-Y-L.
13:31Any questions?
13:32Hey, Governor, what are you hearing from,
13:34what are you asking from the federal agencies
13:36and the White House to do?
13:38Yeah.
13:39So FEMA has been here with us
13:41in the Emergency Operations Center
13:42since before we even let y'all know
13:43that we were working on this.
13:45We are very close contact
13:46with our FEMA regional administrator
13:48who lives and works in Denton.
13:49He and I have been talking several times a day.
13:51At this point, remember, Texas, by federal law,
13:55needs to have $54 million of uninsured public damage
13:59and public loss before the president
14:00can grant a major disaster declaration.
14:03We don't have those dollars yet.
14:05With the size of this storm, man, we're praying
14:06we don't get to that point.
14:07But if we do, we are tied in very close
14:09to our federal partners.
14:11And how about just for assets?
14:13Assets, you know, you've written it.
14:15So they have pre-positioned some response assets
14:18as well as some food and water and blue tarps
14:20for our use if we need them.
14:21That will be on top of what we already have available
14:23as our own state resources.
14:27Any other questions?
14:29We're counting on the media to get the word out.
14:33We are on watch and have been on watch,
14:36the people who work at the Emergency Management Team here.
14:38It's 24-7.
14:40So we will be with you through the storm.
14:43Watch for our updates at tdem.texas.gov slash barrel.
14:49And late hand, go ahead, yes, sir.
14:51Yeah, I guess my question would be,
14:53is there anything that y'all are,
14:56I know y'all have a lot of experience with storms, right?
14:59The, you know, the Gulf.
15:00Is there anything about this storm, though,
15:01that y'all are keeping an eye on
15:03or that might be particularly concern?
15:06You know, I reached out to NIM
15:10about four in the morning several days ago.
15:13And I sent him a text and I said,
15:15the thing that concerns me about this storm
15:17is what happened back in 2008
15:22when the storm was predicted
15:23to go up through Victoria and Sugar Land.
15:25And we had a team call.
15:27I was in the Senate then
15:29with the then governor and lieutenant governor.
15:31And we were assured that's where it was going.
15:34And people on Bolivar Island at that time
15:37felt like they were out of harm's way and then he stayed.
15:39And overnight that storm moved about 40 miles.
15:42And we all know that tragedy of Bolivar Island.
15:44And many of those people drowned
15:45and some were washed out to sea.
15:47So that was the first thing that really came to my mind
15:50because we often see the hurricanes kind of come up,
15:54you know, through the Caribbean like a straight shot.
15:56But these storms that come up through the Eastern Caribbean
15:59and then come over the Yucatan Peninsula
16:02and kind of come in the back door,
16:04a lot of people aren't watching it as much
16:05and they don't take them as seriously.
16:07So we're not suggesting that this is gonna be an Ike
16:10or a Harvey that stayed over land a lot.
16:13But these storms, and Cat 1s are serious storms.
16:16If you're in the way of Cat 1, that's bad news.
16:19And again, many people watching right now
16:21will not be affected or likely affected
16:23in the coast and inland.
16:25But I assure you, some watching
16:27are gonna have significant wind,
16:2985 to 100 miles an hour or more in the higher gust.
16:32And that's property damage, that's trees down,
16:34that's flooding, it lets lots of rain.
16:36And so that's gonna come.
16:37So we just wanna be sure that every Texan is safe.
16:41And that's our number one job, save lives.
16:44Governor, if I may, most Texans
16:47have seen a four-day holiday weekend,
16:49not the folks in the room behind me.
16:50And I think that's one of my concerns
16:52is the timing of this.
16:54With everybody being on vacation,
16:55kids are out of school right now, it's a great time.
16:58But I need to make sure that I get your help
17:00in getting the message out to those
17:01that are still in harm's way that may not realize it yet.
17:04You know, we're at a place right now
17:05that we have no deaths in Texas related to this storm.
17:08I'd sure like to keep it that way.
17:10One way is that we get this turnaround,
17:12don't drown message out.
17:14Another way is if you lose power,
17:16carbon monoxide poisoning and carbon monoxide killings
17:19are very dangerous.
17:20It's a colorless, odorless gas.
17:21And too many people will start a generator
17:23inside their garage or inside their house
17:25to power their appliances.
17:26So anything that you can do to help us get that message out,
17:29those are preventable deaths.
17:30Would appreciate your support.
17:32Thank you, and we will keep you updated.
17:34Thank you all very much.
17:35Thanks, everyone.