Texas Deploys Resources To Lousiana Ahead Of Tropical Storm Sally

AUSTIN, TX — The State of Texas on Friday has deployed resources to Louisiana as residents there brace for Tropical Storm Sally.

At the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to deploy Texas A&M Task Force 1 to Louisiana as the state prepares for Tropical Storm Sally. Texas A&M Task Force 1 has deployed a Type 1 urban search-and-rescue team consisting of 80 personnel, six boats and four canines.

"As our friends in Louisiana prepare for Tropical Storm Sally, the State of Texas is ready to assist in response and recovery efforts," Abbott said in a prepared statement. "I thank the members of Texas A&M Task Force 1 who are acting swiftly to help our neighbors in Louisiana, and I ask all Texans to pray for those in the path of this storm. Our neighbors in Louisiana were there for us during Hurricane Harvey, and we will be here for them as Tropical Storm Sally nears their shores."

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Texas A&M Task Force 1 functions as one of the 28 federal teams under FEMA’s National Urban Search and Rescue System and is one of two statewide search and rescue teams under the direction of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

Brewing off the Gulf of Mexico coast, Tropical Storm Sally is expected to reach hurricane strength by Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Sally is expected to impact the coasts of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.