Gov. Rick Perry has outlined Texas' plans for responding to the threats posed by Hurricane Alex and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill along the Texas coast.
The State Operations Center is fully activated and the state continues to work with federal and local authorities to track both the hurricane and the spill.
"My message to South Texans is to finish your preparations, stay connected to credible information sources and heed the warnings of your local officials, who are closely integrated with the state's emergency management effort that has been mobilized to prepare for Alex's impact," Perry said.
Parts of South Texas remain in the impact area of Hurricane Alex, which the National Weather Service projects will make landfall south of Brownsville Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.
Gov. Perry has declared a state of disaster for 19 counties in South Texas, and President Barack Obama has issued an emergency declaration that allows the state to pursue some federal assistance.
Although oil from the spill is not predicted to reach Texas shores in the immediate future, any oil reaching Texas beaches is expected to be in the form of weathered tar balls, which cannot be prevented by boom deployment and would necessitate aggressive physical removal.
The Office of the Governor continues to participate in daily conference calls with the White House, Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and gulf state governors regarding the oil spill.
Texas beaches remain open for summer recreation and business. For more information, please visit www.traveltex.com.
For more information on preparing for hurricanes click here.
