AUSTIN, Texas – Texas officials are urging people to stay prepared — and not panic — ahead of Beryl.
In a briefing on Friday afternoon, acting Gov. Dan Patrick and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said it is too early to know Beryl’s exact path and where it will make landfall but people should still plan ahead. As of Friday afternoon, Beryl is a tropical storm.
Patrick said people vacationing along the Texas Coast should pay attention to the weather over the next couple of days, avoid traveling Monday and be in a place with the supplies they need.
“We’re preparing for the worst but hoping for the least amount of rain,” Patrick said.
Kidd added that they “need a prepared community and not a panicked community.”
Beryl’s exact track will determine how the state is impacted and we’ll still need to wait for the storm to re-emerge into the Gulf before making any real assumptions. However, in this kind of setup, know that rainfall totals will vary widely: little to no rain to the west, with heavy, significant rainfall to the east.
Any small deviation in the track can change this scenario. You can also keep up with the latest information by clicking here.
On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott directed TDEM to increase the readiness level of the State Emergency Operations Center to Level II (Escalated Response Conditions) effective Friday morning. Abbott also instructed TDEM to begin readying state emergency response resources.
Abbott is out of the country for a pre-planned business trip.
Some counties have already issued voluntary evacuation orders in low-lying areas. In Corpus Christi, 10,000 sandbags were distributed in less than two hours Friday.
YOUR KSAT WEATHER AUTHORITY
Download the KSAT 12 Weather App on your smartphone for the latest weather updates. You can also keep up with forecasts, livestreams and interactive maps on KSAT.com.
Want to share what you’re seeing with KSAT12′s meteorologists? Submit photos and videos here, and your submission may get featured on KSAT.com or on air.