On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced the deployment of additional resources and personnel to Louisiana to aid in Hurricane Ida recovery efforts. These resources compliment those sent on Monday. The deployment of resources will fall under the purview of the Texas Military Department (TDM) and the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM).
This deployment follows an earlier announcement from Abbott that the State of Texas would continue to review any additional Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) request from Louisiana related to the hurricane. In addition to a Texas A&M Task Force providing urban rescue capabilities, the first deployment also included a CH-47 (Chinook) helicopter and crew, 30 fire engines, and 132 firefighters.
This second deployment will include: 116 guardsmen, a battalion tactical command, 1 headquarters company, 4 ground transportation platoons, 1 general support platoon, and 1 engineering platoon along with 25 high-water vehicles. There are also seven Humvees, 1 fuel truck, 1 wrecker, 2 track loaders, and 5 fire suppression water tenders with 20 firefighters through the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) administered by the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Governor Abbott issued a proclamation earlier on Wednesday recognizing September 2021 as Preparedness Month in Texas. Abbott reminds Texans to remain mindful of both natural and man-made disasters, especially in the coastal areas currently at the height of the 2021 hurricane season.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on Twitter @RandyClarkBBTX.