AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Governor Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 134 counties as the state prepares for severe winter weather expected to impact large portions of Texas this weekend.
At this point, there are no Houston-area counties listed, but we do still expect freezing temperatures and ice across parts of southeast Texas.
These are the counties under the disaster declaration: Andrews, Archer, Armstrong, Bailey, Baylor, Borden, Bosque, Bowie, Briscoe, Brown, Callahan, Camp, Carson, Cass, Castro, Childress, Clay, Cochran, Coke, Coleman, Collin, Collingsworth, Comanche, Cooke, Cottle, Crane, Crosby, Culberson, Dallam, Dallas, Dawson, Deaf Smith, Delta, Denton, Dickens, Donley, Eastland, Ector, El Paso, Ellis, Erath, Fannin, Fisher, Floyd, Foard, Franklin, Gaines, Garza, Glasscock, Gray, Grayson, Gregg, Hale, Hall, Hamilton, Hansford, Hardeman, Harrison, Hartley, Haskell, Hemphill, Henderson, Hill, Hockley, Hood, Hopkins, Howard, Hudspeth, Hunt, Hutchison, Jack, Johnson, Jones, Kaufman, Kent, King, Knox, Lamar, Lamb, Lipscomb, Loving, Lubbock, Lynn, Marion, Martin, Midland, Mitchell, Montague, Moore, Morris, Motley, Navarro, Nolan, Ochiltree, Oldham, Palo Pinto, Parker, Parmer, Potter, Rains, Randall, Reagan, Red River, Reeves, Roberts, Rockwall, Runnels, Scurry, Shackleford, Sherman, Smith, Somervell, Stephen, Sterling, Stonewall, Swisher, Tarrant, Taylor, Terry, Throckmorton, Titus, Tom Green, Upshur, Upton, Van Zandt, Ward, Wheeler, Wichita, Wilbarger, Winkler, Wise, Wood, Yoakum, Young
“Whenever we go through any type of disaster, job number one is always protecting lives,” Gov. Abbott said.
The governor went on to say the declaration will allow the state to respond “quicker, faster, and better than ever before,” adding that state teams are already prepared and actively responding ahead of the weather event.
During his remarks, Abbott stressed the importance of road safety, urging Texans to stay off the roads unless travel is absolutely necessary. He also highlighted improvements to the state’s electrical grid, saying he’s confident ERCOT is stronger and more prepared than ever to handle this winter storm. He also encouraged Texans to gather supplies and provisions now as the state faces several days of below-freezing temperatures, along with snow, rain, and sleet.
As part of the response, Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to raise the readiness level of the Texas State Operations Center to Level II, known as an Escalated Response. Earlier in the week, TDEM had already been directed to activate state emergency response resources in anticipation of the severe winter weather.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has also issued a five-day waiver allowing commercial truck drivers transporting essential goods, including propane and groceries, and other essential products, to operate beyond maximum driving hour requirements. That’s designed to ensure the continued delivery and availability of critical resources statewide.