Polk County judge declares local state of disaster

POLK COUNTY, Texas ( KETK ) – Polk County Judge Sydney Murphey declared a local state of disaster ahead of tropical storm Beryl on Saturday.

The storm is expected to pass over Polk County as they’re still trying to recover from widespread flooding they had back in April. With Beryl hitting the declaration says more flooding will likely occur in the low-lying parts of the county and along the Trinity River.

The declaration also said that there will likely be increased discharge from the already damaged Lake Livingston Dam. The Trinity River Authority said they’ve already been making repairs and mitigation efforts at the dam. They added that the dam will be able to handle high flow events without impacting it’s integrity.

The Polk County disaster declaration will last no more than seven days and the county’s emergency management plan has been activated.

According to the Polk County Office of Emergency Management , the FEMA Disaster Recover Center will be closed on Monday because of Beryl.

The Polk County Office of Emergency Management said on Monday that a local disaster declaration was made for the city of Corrigan by Mayor Johnna Gibson as of 1 p.m. on Sunday.

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