Hundreds of people respond to help those affected by Beryl

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Hundreds of personnel from statewide agencies have responded to help Texans impacted by Beryl, now a tropical storm.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who is acting governor while Gov. Greg Abbott is overseas, held a news conference Sunday afternoon regarding preparations for Beryl’s landfall in Texas.

“We are now at 120 counties in the disaster area,” Patrick said. “You need to listen to your local officials as well as your local forecast for where you live.”

More than a dozen statewide agencies have responded to the storm’s aftermath.

The Texas Department of Transportation told KXAN that over 850 people are on roads state-wide, helping to clear roadways of fallen trees and debris; the American Red Cross has five shelters set up across Texas; and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service has deployed 170 people and 12 dogs for urban search and rescue initiatives.

“Our number one mission in the state, your local mayors and your local county judges and officials is to save your life,” Patrick said.

Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had 60 staff embedded in Texas prior to the storm’s landfall. They brought 500,000 meals, 800,000 liters of water and 60 generators to provide power to critical infrastructure.

While many people are already in the field, some continue to standby. The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has crews ready to support agricultural and livestock needs affected by the storms.

“Once we identify [community] needs — whether it’s infrastructure or fencing assessments with livestock or anything animal issue related — we can get ready to roster teams and get them out there to help those affected,” said Jordan Baze, a coordinator for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service Disaster Assessment and Recovery unit.

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