Texas Border Business
AUSTIN, Texas (August 26, 2017) – At the direction of Gov. Greg Abbott more than 1,300 members of the Texas Military Department’s Army National Guard, Air National Guard and Texas State Guard have been activated and are working with first responders to assist communities throughout the Texas Gulf Coast. More than 2,000 Guardsmen are expected to respond within the next 24-48 hours. Additional personnel continue to remain on standby to respond to impacted areas as needed.
Currently, UH-60 Blackhawk, UH-72 Lakota and CH-47 Chinook air crews remain on standby in Austin, San Antonio and Grand Prairie to assist with emergency search and rescue, swift water rescues or evacuations. Members of the Texas State Guard are mobilized to provide any local shelter operations and provide an evacuee tracking system in the affected areas.
“This is what we train for,” said Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Hamilton, Commander of Domestic Operations Task Force. “And we’re proud to stand beside our civilian partners, first responders and volunteers to serve the citizens of Texas.”
The Texas Military Department will continue to work with The Texas Department of Emergency management to assist Texans as they recover from the impact of Hurricane Harvey.
Hurricane Harvey is the first hurricane to make a direct landfall on the Texas coast since 2008.
“This is Texans helping Texans – neighbors helping neighbors,” Hamilton said. “While we don’t want to have to put our training to the test during a tragedy, our citizen-guardsmen remain prepared to help save lives and property, when called.”
