You can hold that. Afternoon. I wanted to let you know about a set of dates. S you may know, we just had a statewide call, a call that nvolved more than 30 state agencies that are involved in helping to respond to this afternoon. Call to involve local officials, county officials, and entire stateund the of texas that is involved in this process. The lked to people from Gulf Coast Region all the way up helping texas, who are in their own way to respond to challenges. Fema for thank responding and the red cross for chiefeyre doing, and the if nemked for his leadership and he director for all he does in helping us respond to these challenges. As far as the situation that we are in, its a situation that evolving. Ne, from a fairly difficult to ascertain Tropical Storm into one thats turned into a very and dangerous hurricane. A hurricane thats going to prove more dangerous than many hurricanes. Not only are we going to be dealing with the high winds that come with what should be a category 3 hurricane, but with going to be dealing immense really recordsetting multiple regions across the state of texas. Know, this is a hurricane inland and is prognosticated to just hover for time. Period of it could be days. Nd during that long period of time, there will be a tremendous rain dropped on miles upon miles of texas. Going to lead to what was described earlier in our onference call as record flooding at multiple locations all the way from the Corpus Christi area all the way area. E houston there are stages of reaction now. Re needed right to help texans deal with and respond to these challenges, it s essential that while there still may be some time over the texans who are declared as evacuation areas it could be your local official who has declared an evacuation, you need to heed that call, if at all even if a evacuation by r has not been issued your local shall if. F you are in areas between Corpus Christi and houston and maybe some other areas, especially lowlying areas, you to strongly consider evacuating, because heres whats going to happen. May think that the initial surge is something that you will able to deal with. You dont know, and what nobody knows right now, will be the magnitude of flooding that canning over the coming days and the aftermath of the initial surge. Wait until you realize how serious this condition is, oull likely find it is too late for you to be able to evacuate. Has ld urge everybody who the possibility to consider e possible. S soon as the second stage after that will rescue stage. Nd large number e a of both personnel, boats, helicopters, and other that will enable a statebased officials to be able to go through the search and rescue process. To help as many people as we possibly can. Ut, of course, that search and rescue process will not be able the gin until after hurricane components have begun to die down and, of course, you yourself into ut a situation where you could be subject to a search and rescue. You have the power and the ability right now to be able to stuck in a search and rescue situation if you make get out of to harms way before it is too late. That people enge just need to be aware of. Here have already been reports of tornadoes, and this is just a comes component that along with hurricanes. We anticipate that the number of increase in the coming days, so its something hat you simply have to be constantly vigilant about and remember that as youre trying deal with these tornadoes that could arise, you may be already t when youre out of power, when youre already out of supplies, when ability to listen to news or learn about what may be happening may be compromised. Again is another reason hy it may just be better for you to go ahead right now and go of ugh the process evacuation. A ave issued a request for president ial major disaster declaration issued to the moments ago. Will trigger e, the assistance or additional help and assistance from the federal government that the asking for, weis at obviously tell already this stage, this is going to be a very major disaster. I would like to run through several of the detailed reports provided by several of the many agencies that conference. In our the Texas Military service, for xample, have already activated more than 1,000 personnel and more. Adding 300 they are including the provision of providing vehicles, aircraft, shelters. It as task force, this is is Texas Task Force 1 and 2, i think, are the organizations have a leadership role n the search and rescue process. 900 personnel ed available for participation in process. And rescue we have game wardens in the state of texas who are already to ork in helping respond this, obviously working with boats and things working multiple locations in affected areas and importantly, they pointed out parks will be vacuees at no charge. Ill be going through evacuation along, in nos i go particular order, but one place can go to, if they are considering relocating to an evacuation location, is a state park, and importantly, absolutely, no charge for that during this emergency time period. Ps troopers have mobilized to help respond in the entire area anging from san antonio to Corpus Christi and to all regions. The red cross, now as usual, is playing a vital role. They already have seven shelters open. More thatbe adding 47 are on standby for a total of 54 shelters. They are ready to aid anybody who needs any type of assistance. Ahold of ying to get the shelter out closest to you is to call 1800redcross. We have the state health involved also. They have, among other things, our shelters open, primarily, in san antonio now. The reality is wherever anything people are ppens as displaced, there are certain eople with certain acute or healthcare needs and its important that people understand hat the state Health Services in be available to assist any particular needs. He Texas Division of Emergency Management has deployed 500 for evacuation. Some people may be wondering, they may think they want to evacuate, but how is it theyre able to do so, because they of t have any mode transportation. Its important they understand that more than 200 busses are at g to be available multiple locations around the state of texas. If you are looking for one of perhaps the easiest thing for you to be able your would be to contact local Emergency Management personnel or local law direct you who can to the location where you can ind one of those busses for evacuation. The texas health and human ervices commission is working with state living centers, more than 200 people have been moved san antonio from Corpus Christi statesupported living process will hat continue. We want to make sure the people across the state know if you friend or relative across one of the centers, the state is and active in e ensuring their state is being taken care of. Again, an entity always helpful is the salvation army. They have organized 32 mobile feeding units, and that is on feeding units that are provided by the red cross, as of other multitude entities. Have the we demonstrated ability to shelter 41,000 e vacuees, if the need arises. Bottom line is that the state of texas, working in and collaboration with officials at the local this are responding to hurricane in a very aggressive to minimize any loss of life. Second, to ensure that the needs citizens will be addressed as swiftly and as comprehensively as possible. With that, why dont i take a few questions. Wasnt the Evacuation Order issued sooner. Youve expressed a few people evacuated. Have they been forceful in getting people to get out. Issues that local officials issue, whether they be with who county judges have a feel for their own regions. Some counties, the lower areas were warranted. Topography of the their particular region would have the best idea about who to s to be subject Evacuation Orders. During the briefing, governor, i heard that the so far hasoney spent hit 900 million. Is that correct . You can take a couple of zeros off of that. It is 9 million. By state are costs agencies, primarily focused on ersonnel, as well as other resources. So that has nothing to do, whatsoever, with regard to the incurred at the local level or in the private level nd you can expect that that cost is going to be far higher than that. And had the call on the made. Ate been for contra flow, its not. Repeatedly, including moments ago as well as earlier necessary, and s ive been told every single time because been necessary, the traffic lanes for evacuees ave not gotten so congested that contraflow needs to be done. That txdot and all other authorities know what traffic low needs to look at to ensure the swiftest level of evacuation. Is there an estimate how many have evacuated. I have no idea about those numbers. I have heard no one articulate any number about those. Reports ou heard any that Border Patrol is operating heck points, slowing things down. Has anything been communicated to you. I have not heard anything other than the uggestion is that they are not hampering the evacuation effort or safety effort of anybody in any way. True that , is it are goinged folks who e evacuated microphone ay from microphone] thats what ive been told. Focus is the security and safety and protection of life. Feel texans will be feeling the impact of this storm . To be fair about this in an estimate, understanding that the center force of this may move a but the primary thats going to last the longest will be the rain and the flooding and its something well be estimating with for a or two, and people will remember Tropical Storm allisson, and we are hoping were going to be able to escape Something Like that. At the ook prognosticated number of inches rain well be dealing with, it will be the same amount in allisson. Whether or not it will be concentrated over a particular is hard ke in allisson to tell right now. Ll we know, its already prognosticated to provide a record amount of flooding in regions, ranging from Corpus Christi over to houston, nd those are challenges that well deal with for at least a week or not longer. Wouldnt you think you should evacuating more areas in houston into the lowlying areas. Not had any mandatory evacuations in those. Part. Issed the first learning the lessons of quickly the w highways flooded. Katrinalike. The lowlying areas not be evacuated in houston. As far as i understand it now, and i could be wrong about this. S far as i know right now, there have been no mandatory evacuations from the houston area. Ight now, it appears, that the houston area will be spared. He brunt of the hurricane force, and the surge that goes along with it. Minimize some l of the danger. With the possibility of flooding being where it could be. Again, i would urge people to evacuationnsider the process. Because there is the possibility, or probability, go a lot of people will long time without access to basic necessities or without to, perhaps, water, if you have and so the ability to evacuate and go somewhere else for a little while, it would be good. Also fair to say that with rain, its icated going to be hard for businesses normal en, and for functions to take place, i realize we have a weekend coming who d a lot of people typically may not go to work may be going to work. I wouldnt be surprised if work school and other facilities like that are going to be to romised in their ability be open on monday and maybe the week. Rt of next thats pure guess right now. This, and that is if you want to take charge of your ensure that you are providing the greatest possible safety for yourself and your it would be a good idea for you to take a few days off, get out of the houston area, be safe, and you can always get back, get home, and up later. [speaking indiscernibly away rom microphone] also see a would lot of flooding from the areas. Sure. Moments ago had covered all of that. In every single part of the state of texas is on alert nd ready to deal with the consequences of what may come your way. You mentioned san antonio. Prospect for a lot of rainfall in san antonio. History teaches that that means lot of the creeks and rivers ikely will have substantial flooding. Local, county, and state officials are prepared to that as we speak. And you couldnt state what pressure on local officials . Could you disagree with the locally . G made i think it is important for the local officials who have the authority and responsibility for this to be the ones to make the call. I can be suggestive of what i do, and that is if i were houston region as i once did, i would decide to north of there. And listen, there are so many shelters re there are that are going to be open in dallas, in waco, in austin, in antonio, and in countless other parts of the state of texas that you can go to. A place nt to go to where it wont cost you anything to stay. And beds and shelter will be provided to you. From will hat, veng, be other places open especially in the dallasfort worth area parts of that state of texas. First. K of your life the most important thing that were dealing with right now is life. My top goal is to be able to ake it through this storm in a way in which we lose no lives. Nd so my hope is that our fellow texans will follow that and put your life first and property second. Thank you very much. Will have ongoing updates. On sanng to be departing antonio to the shelter and maybe places there this afternoon. Real quick, listen, i had a errific conversation with both separately t and with the head of homeland and head of fema in washington d. C. Strong hem provided unequivocal assurances in their any rt to help texas in way. We have the fema administrator in t here who works hand glove with the state of texas, not just on this, but onsistently, hes been around for about 30 years or so. This is not his first rodeo. And ows how this works knows how texas works. E and the kid and the whole team work very collaboratively together. Discussing some of the folks and shelters with theyre o shelters and not an integration enforcement location. Any are not going to do kind of enforcement action at shelters. What is your message to people running shelters today. Its clear. Clear that were not doing immigration these locations. Well. En made clear as the check points, issues that evacuation in low lying areas in the rio grand alley, and we need to move people. Foremost. St and we never do that unless theres probable cause. For the number of people evacuated. Let me explain why its difficult. Got the message that 3 s was going to be a cat storm yesterday after 10 00, whatever you were doing at 10 00 they got the e message, they had to get off board off their houses, and find shelter. Any people are staying with friends and family and going to hotel rooms. Tell. No what were focused on is making a e that people dont have place to stay know they have a shelter were going to go to. Ere going to be asking for shelters on a daily basis. Ur shelter managers go through midnight and count heads. That doesnt mean people will overnighteir shelters or stay there at all. You will see our shelter numbers down and fluctuate. Nobody will hide anything from you. Truth of the matter is, theres free redblooded can come and go as they please and we dont hold them in a shelter. They can get three meals and a go on with their lives. Around 41,000 right now, in shelters. Red cross of the ut 10 percent population thats evacuated actually goes to a shelter. 4 to 500,000 people in these evacuation areas. Corpus christi is about 300,000. When we get about half of the have, when that fills up, were not 10 percent of our capacity. Up, well look for additional facilities. There are shelters that will open and they support. Shelters at churches nd civic organizations that they support. They have no requirement. The ur job is when we get job, they provide any additional may need. They is there enough traffic. Its a difficult question. Its hard to tell if theres one erson in the car, five people in the car. Ify family has two cars. Not a good indicator, and what we want to watch for is to sure the traffic keeps moving. Sure traffic e keeps moving and assistance is given if needed. Are in san antonio, there concerns these shelters may not be operational. If someone is hit by the hurricane, i think well get a lot of rain in san antonio and high winds. That the truest forecast is holding to hurricaneforce winds in san antonio. To remember ng about san antonio, over the last years, theres been millions of in improvement projects. Be working. Ty wasnt i know the people in san antonio take their that they life safety as a top priority. If theres anybody that understands the dynamics of water, that we heard today, theres going to be flooding in never flooded e before. This ould just emphasize, is not a normal bad storm. Ou need to communicate to the public, this is a all storms re bad, but this is a really bad, bad storm because of the rain. Focused on theis surge. Its going to be significant and creeks and t of rivers to drain. So its my concern, and well to friends and constituents. You may not have been in a flood before, but weve never witnessed the forecast for a storm like this. Going to be the rain, the rain, and the rain. Ive got a lot of grand berly, and we know the flash flood, they think theyre in good shape. Gotten halfway up the hill. Today, any em later experiences youve lived through before, you need to revis. Need an escape route and there will be flooding state weve never seen before. Thats the emphasis we got briefing. The if you dont remember anything else, its just not a normal bad storm. Its a wet, really bad storm. Parliament just because of our atmosphere. The state atmospheres already so much atmosphere that and ing will hit it, concerns in the dallasfort worth area. And g that ive been area, say, in the coast its the impression its making on me is i dont think witnessed a forecast, grasp the y, the amount of the moisture the storm erratic behavior, the land, going down coast and surfacing. What about the mayor. Governor. With the thats a local matter. County ow the local judge. Hunkering down. Versus the cing act dangers of massive evacuation, versus if you have supplies and your home and youre not in a floodproned area. What at this ly time what the local Harris County officials are saying. Has to stay tuned because the potential for flooding in areas that have i cant emphasize how great that is. And show you e, ow as it makes landfall, we know what it does, but the surge the flooding down. Houston can n create havoc but well have days of hard rain. The wind is a concern but the flooding is a canern i dont think anyone exaggerate by telling people, it. Got to be ready for and using nigh family as example. An area thats never flooded before and you elevation,ave enough revisit that location, okay. Preparations were white topic at todays house briefing. Rt answered questions. This portion of the briefing is ndst