MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 01: John Cangialosi, Senior Hurricane Specialist at the National Hurricane Center, inspects a satellite image of Hurricane Beryl, the first hurricane of the 2024 season, at the National Hurricane Center on July 01, 2024 in Miami, Florida. On Monday afternoon, the storm, centered 30 miles west-northwest of Carriacou Island, became the strongest hurricane this early in the season in this area of the
Atlantic. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Patrick said he issued a disaster declaration for 39 counties Friday morning and has communicated with Abbott as one of the first severe systems of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season heads toward the state.
Patrick urged Texans who live on the Gulf Coast and are traveling over the holiday weekend to take precautions and stay informed on the storm's developments. He also suggested residents refrain from traveling on Monday and warned that Beryl is a "determined" system.
"This storm began Monday. It has devastated several islands in the Caribbean, and it is the earliest Category 5 storm in history. This is a determined storm that is still strong even over the Yucatan Peninsula," Patrick said.
"Everyone along the coast should be paying attention to this storm. We pray and we hope for nothing more than a rain event but even a rain event may be very heavy. But we
prepare at the state for the worst-case scenario and we have the best emergency management team in the country."
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief officer Nim Kidd said the state focuses on life safety as officials prepare Gulf Coast residents and surrounding counties to face heavy wind and storms over the holiday weekend.
"A lot of people are out having fun right now and that's a good thing and we want them to continue to do that but we also want them to prepare," Kidd said. "We need a prepared community, not a panicked community."
Kidd also said it's still unclear where Beryl is set to make landfall but warned residents to be on alert.
"We really won't know for several more hours exactly where landfall may be but we have high confidence that this system is coming somewhere to Texas," Kidd said. "With that we would ask that people take the time to make sure vehicles are fueled, make sure they have food and water and take care of their pets, check on their family members."
As of Friday
morning, the storm is moving through the Yucatan Peninsula near Tulum, Mexico. Meteorologists expect the system to weaken into a tropical storm before regaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico. Models currently show Beryl making landfall between northeastern Mexico and South Texas late Sunday night or early Monday morning.
