AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday announced the state’s response to the unprecedented power outage and freeze we’re facing. The resources will help with power restoration and clearing roadways, as well as helping essential workers carry out their duties.
The Texas National Guard is being deployed to do welfare checks and to help get people who need them to heating centers.
The governor’s office also announced it got a waiver from the U.S. Department of Energy that allowed Texas generators to increase production, but the winter weather kept some of those generators offline.
These are the resources that have been deployed by the state
- Texas Department of Public Safety: 3,300 Troopers and 3,300 patrol vehicles responding statewide to events in areas adversely affected by winter weather
- Texas Military Department: 6 Winter Weather Packages consisting of 90 personnel, 28 High Mobility Multi-Wheeled Vehicles, 1 Field Light Ambulance, and 4 Wreckers
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: 585 personnel, 531 4x4 vehicles, 50 UAS, 1 aircraft and 9 K9 teams
- Texas A&M Forest Service: 83 personnel, 6 Motor Graders, and 58 4x4s
- Texas Department of Transportation: 2,314 personnel, 695 snowplows, 188 loaders, 55 Motor Graders and 757 4x4 vehicles
- Texas Emergency Medical Task Force: 1 AMBUS and 1 Ambulance Strike Team and 4 Severe Weather Packages consisting of 1 Task Force Leader, 1 MIST,1 AMBUS and 1 Ambulance Strike Team each on standby