Hurricane Beryl made landfall near Matagorda Beach as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday morning, bringing significant wind and rain to the Texas coast. According to the National Hurricane Center, Beryl’s maximum sustained winds increased to 80 mph, with gusts reported as high as 87 mph in Freeport and 85 mph at Surfside Beach. The hurricane’s center, located about 55 miles south-southwest of Houston, is tracking north at 12 mph, pushing powerful winds and torrential rain inland.
As Beryl moves inland, eastern Texas is experiencing heavy rainfall, storm surge, and the threat of tornadoes. The storm is unloading damaging winds and life-threatening conditions across the region. Rainfall totals are expected to reach 5-10 inches, with isolated areas potentially seeing up to 15 inches. Flash flooding is already occurring in many areas, and the Weather Prediction Center has warned of extreme rainfall rates and significant urban flooding in populated areas like Houston and Galveston.
The impact of Hurricane Beryl has left more than 1.5 million people without power across Texas, with over a million outages reported in the Houston area alone. The National Hurricane Center predicts that Beryl will weaken to a tropical storm and then to a tropical depression by the time it reaches Arkansas on Tuesday. Despite this expected weakening, the storm’s impact on Texas remains severe. Communities along the coast and inland are bracing for continued heavy rain and flooding as Beryl progresses northward. The situation is being closely monitored, and residents are urged to stay alert and follow safety advisories.
In anticipation of Hurricane Beryl, the Texas State Guard (State Defense Force) activated its brigades over the weekend. Hundreds of soldiers were put on standby, ready to respond to any emergency missions. The 3rd Battalion 6th Brigade, based in Waco, Texas, spent their drill weekend preparing for weather response. Soldiers also conducted periodic deployment bag checks and POV safety checks to ensure readiness.
With Hurricane Beryl’s impact now evident, the Texas State Guard is rolling out post-storm response teams and specific MRP teams. Specialty teams, such as the Texas State Guard Search & Rescue and the Search & Rescue Maritime & Diving Teams, are preparing to deploy to the hardest-hit areas. Other units are preparing to deploy to handle various missions, including Shelter Operation and Point of Distribution missions. The Guard is mobilizing to ensure rapid and effective support to communities affected by the hurricane, showcasing their preparedness and commitment to assisting in the aftermath of natural disasters.
We will provide you more updates as they come in.
Waco Tx – June 22, 2024. Soldiers from the 3rd Battalion 6th Brigade spent their drill weekend preparing for upcoming weather response, which included:
1. Shared experiences from soldiers who recently deployed during the May flooding and tornado response (PV2 Nguyen, PFC McIntire, SGT Ferrer, PFC Ruiz, and PV2 Ingersoll).
2. CSM Ocasio presented on individual leadership and soldier accountability.
3. CPT Arnold presented on Deploying Essentials.
4. A periodic deployment bag check, and POV safety check to help keep soldiers ready for a deployment.
5. There was also a Captian promotion and a MSG retirement celebration (stay tuned for individual posting of these accomplishments!).
(photos by CPL Jason Hunter 6 Brigade PAO)
#TexasStateGuard #duty #honor #texas #TXSG #TXMilitary #TexansServingTexas
Source: CNN – Texas State Guard 6th Brigade – Texas State Guard PAO
