State emergency crews on standby ahead of potential severe weather Friday
Gov. Greg Abbott increased the readiness level for the State Emergency Operations Center ahead of potentially severe storms on Friday.
We could see strong damaging winds, large hail and even the potential for a few tornadoes.
The storms are expected to move through the Panhandle early in the day and make their way through the eastern half of the state on Friday night.
The largest risk for the Dallas-Fort Worth area will be from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
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The Texas Division of Emergency Management activated the boat squads and urban search and rescue teams Texas A&M Task Force One and Texas A&M Task Force Two.
The risk of flooding in North Texas is very low.
TDEM also put the following resources on standby:
- Texas A&M Forest Service: Saw Crews and Incident Management Teams
- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department: Boat Teams to support water rescue operations
- Texas National Guard: Transportation platoons and helicopters with hoist capability
- Texas Department of State Health Services: Texas Emergency Medical Task Force Severe Weather Packages
- Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas Highway Patrol): Helicopters with hoist capability
- Public Utility Commission of Texas: Power outage monitoring/coordination with utility providers in the threat area.
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Personnel to monitor drinking water, wastewater and air quality
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Disaster Assessment and Recovery Agents
- State Mass Care Coordination
"The State of Texas continues readying resources to protect Texans against severe weather threats impacting our state, and we urge Texans to heed the guidance of their emergency officials to keep themselves and their loved ones safe," said Governor Abbott. "State and local officials are working around-the-clock to ensure resources are swiftly deployed to respond to impacted communities over the course of these storms."
Tornado Safety Tips
The National Weather Service has some advice for drivers.
They are reminding people not to park and take shelter under a bridge or overpass during a storm.
The NWS says it will cause a traffic jam and then the people behind you can't get to safety.
If there is a tornado, winds increase underneath a bridge, like a funnel, and that is a situation that could be deadly.
If you are driving during a tornado warning, they say to find a sturdy building where you can take shelter, or if you are in immediate danger, get out of your vehicle and lay in a ditch.
If you are at home, the National Weather Service suggests going to an interior room on the ground floor without any windows.