Along the Texas coast, residents in Beryl’s path are boarding up their homes and stocking up on supplies. Forecasters predict the storm will regain strength and become a hurricane before making landfall in the coming hours.
“We’re just prepared to help out any local agencies, anybody that reaches out to us,” said Denton County firefighter Andrew Crudgington. Crudgington is currently stationed in South Texas with Texas Task Force 2 – Urban Search and Rescue.
With forecasts predicting up to six feet of storm surge and wind speeds reaching 90 miles per hour, Task Force 2 is ready to assist with recovery efforts. “There’s no greater calling than to help your fellow man in a time of need, in my opinion, so this is probably the most need that I can help in the situation that I’m in,” Crudgington added.
This sentiment is echoed by first responders and civilians across the state. On Saturday, Flower Mound Fire deployed its Ambus south as a last-minute resource. Additionally, North Texas’s Rancher Navy was activated.
“We’re trying to get the message out to get to safety much, much farther in advance than anybody else that may be needing to prepare for a hurricane just because the needs of livestock are so much different,” said Director Megan Broome. Volunteers from across the state are heading to the coast with trailers to evacuate livestock from flood-prone areas. “Farmers and ranchers support each other, and so they are coming from pretty long distances,” she added.
The Rancher Navy advises those who must evacuate without their animals to write information on the back of the animal to help volunteers locate them by drone. They also recommend closing all stall and building doors to prevent animals from becoming trapped in floodwater.
On Saturday, 81 counties were added to a disaster declaration, with many at risk for flash flooding, according to the National Hurricane Center.
“We’re most concerned about the heavy rainfall on Monday into Tuesday. This area here in red is sort of our highest risk area, level three out of four for the potential for flash flooding. But that does include places to the southeast of Dallas, Palestine, down to College Station and Bryan,” said Director Michael Brennan.
DFW and areas to the northeast are at a slightly lower risk.
Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick stated on Saturday that over 2,000 responders and 850 assets are ready for whatever comes.
