Gov. Greg Abbott says Texas is more prepared than ever before following a video conference with President Trump and the heads of Homeland Security and FEMA to get ready for hte 2018 hurricane season, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
The governor says being on the same page with the Federal Emergency Management Agency is the best thing the state can do to prepare for the season.
"They are working on building a culture of preparedness, they are working to ready the nation for catastrophic disasters, and they are working to reduce the complexity of FEMA," he said.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting 10 to 16 named storms in the Atlantic and Gulf basin in 2018.
"As the recovery from Hurricane Harvey continues and another hurricane season begins, now is the time to prepare," said Governor Abbott. "The state is actively readying resources and communication and response strategies to protect families and property in the event of another hurricane. I thank the Administration for today’s briefing, and I look forward to our continued coordination with federal partners throughout the 2018 hurricane season."
Among the topic discussed in the teleconference included evacuation zones, clearance timelines, and public messaging.
"There is probably nothing that we do over the coming year then getting ready to respond to a replication of what happened last year," the governor said.
PHOTO: OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR