{"id":131681,"date":"2026-01-21T08:55:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/131681\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T08:55:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:55:16","slug":"governor-abbott-activates-state-emergency-response-resources-ahead-of-winter-storm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/131681\/","title":{"rendered":"Governor Abbott activates state emergency response resources ahead of winter storm"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" article <\/p>\n

(Tayfun Coskun\/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

AUSTIN, Texas – Ahead of the severe winter weather expected this weekend, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that he directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to activate state emergency response resources<\/a> beginning on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Forecast and Regional Impacts <\/p>\n

What we know:<\/p>\n

According to the National Weather Service, an arctic cold front is expected to bring dangerously cold temperatures and wind-chills to the state through the early part of next week.<\/p>\n

The storm system is expected to move through the state, bringing the possibility of freezing rain, sleet, and snow that could create hazardous travel conditions into the weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Areas most at risk of wintry weather are northwest, north, and northeast Texas. Freezing rain and sleet are more likely to impact areas across west, central, south-central, east, and southeast Texas. Cold rain is also expected for areas in\u00a0deep south Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.<\/p>\n

Words from Gov. Abbott \"\" <\/p>\n

(Photo by Drew Anthony Smith\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

“Based on current forecasts, the State of Texas is acting to ensure Texans have the resources they need before severe winter weather impacts communities across Texas,” said Governor Abbott.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“As temperatures could drop below freezing and regions of Texas face snow, ice, and freezing rain, it is crucial that Texans remain weather-aware, check DriveTexas.org<\/a> before traveling, and heed the guidance of state and local officials. I thank emergency management personnel and first responders for working tirelessly to keep Texans safe.”<\/p>\n

State agency actions and resources \"\" <\/p>\n

Big picture view:<\/p>\n

At the direction of the Governor, TDEM has activated the following state emergency response resources to support weather response operations:<\/p>\n

Texas Department of Transportation (DPS) will deploy winter weather roadway equipment and crews to pre-treat and treat roadways, while personnel and equipment are provided to assist with traffic control and road closures.Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) will deploy\u00a0the State of Texas Incident Management Team, who will have personnel working with local partners to update warming center maps.Texas National Guard will deploy\u00a0high-profile vehicles and personnel to support stranded motorists.Texas A&M Forest Service’s Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System will provide\u00a0All-Hazard Strike Teams consisting of firefighters, engines, and equipment such as motor graders to assist with snow\/ice clearance and saw crews.Texas Parks and Wildlife Department\u2019s\u00a0Game Wardens are being sent to support local law enforcement and high-profile vehicles to assist stranded motorists.Public Utility Commission of Texas will have\u00a0power outage monitoring and will coordinate with utility providers across areas threatened by the weather.Railroad Commission of Texas\u00a0is monitoring the state\u2019s natural gas supply and communication with the oil and gas industries.Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is monitoring\u00a0air, water and wastewater.Texas Department of Public Safety\u2019s\u00a0Texas Highway Patrol Troopers are to patrol Texas roadways.Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service\u2019s Public Works Response Team is to send\u00a0personnel to assist with public works needs.Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service will have\u00a0Disaster Assessment and Recovery Agents.Texas Department of State Health Services\u2019 Emergency Medical Task Force\u00a0is providing winter and severe weather packages including medics and ambulances.Texas Health and Human Services Commission is deploying\u00a0personnel to provide information on available services through the 2-1-1 Texas Information Referral Network.Texas Education Agency is\u00a0monitoring school district needs across the state.Texas Department of Information Resources is\u00a0monitoring technology infrastructure throughout the state. Safety and travel resources <\/p>\n

What you can do:<\/p>\n

Texans are urged to stay weather-aware, check road conditions before any necessary travel, and follow instructions from local officials.<\/p>\n

Texans can access winter weather safety tips by visiting\u00a0TexasReady.gov<\/a>,\u00a0<\/p>\n

Check road conditions at\u00a0DriveTexas.org.<\/a><\/p>\n

Find warming centers opened and operated by local officials at\u00a0tdem.texas.gov\/warm<\/a>,<\/p>\n

Find general preparedness information at\u00a0tdem.texas.gov\/prepare<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Source: Information in this article was provided by Governor Greg Abbott’s Press Office.<\/p>\n

Winter Weather<\/a>Greg Abbott<\/a>Severe Weather<\/a>Weather<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"article (Tayfun Coskun\/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) AUSTIN, Texas – Ahead of the severe winter weather expected this…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":131682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[392,223,4375,27,29,28,172,9181],"class_list":{"0":"post-131681","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-texas","8":"tag-greg-abbott","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-severe-weather","11":"tag-texas","12":"tag-texas-headlines","13":"tag-texas-news","14":"tag-weather","15":"tag-winter-weather"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}