Source:  Texas Forest Service

State lawmakers have allocated about $20 million in annual, additional funding for Texas Forest Service, allowing the agency to beef up volunteer fire departments’ capacity, as well as its own.That money includes $9 million per year for Texas Wildfire Protection Plan, a five-part approach to disaster response that focuses on predictive services, prevention and mitigation, planning and preparedness, local capacity building and rapid response.

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Source:  Office of the Governor, Rick Perry

Gov. Rick Perry has activated state resources to combat wildfires in Central Texas. These resources include four Texas Military Forces Blackhawk helicopters equipped to drop water and fire retardant, Texas Forest Service fire fighters and contract aircraft and heavy equipment. A cold front sweeping through the state late Friday and Saturday increased the wildfire threat with high winds and low humidity.

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Source:  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

SNAPS provides local-level community profile information nationwide. It can be browsed by county and state and searched by zip code. SNAPS serves as a valuable tool when responding to public health emergency events at the state, Tribal, and local levels. It provides a “snap shot” of key variables for consideration in guiding and tailoring health education and communication efforts to ensure diverse audiences receive critical public health messages that are accessible, understandable, and timely.

SNAPS data is derived from the 2000 U.S. Census and several 2003 CDC databases.

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Source:  Transportation Research Board

A Guide to Traffic Control of Rural Roads in an Agricultural Emergency explores recommended practices and procedures associated with traffic control on local and state roads during agricultural emergencies.  The report examines three levels of traffic control based on the type of disease and location of the traffic control point.

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Source(s): FEMA

Only two weeks remain for homeowners, renters, and business owners who suffered damages from Hurricane Ike and live in one of the 34 counties designated for federal and state assistance to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

State and federal officials are urging anyone who still needs to register to do so before the registration deadline of Nov. 12.

“The deadline is only two weeks away and we don’t want anyone with disaster damages to miss this opportunity for assistance,” said State Coordinating Officer Joan Haun. “Register, get into the FEMA system and let’s find out what you are eligible for.”

There are two ways to register: log on to www.fema.gov or call FEMA’s toll free number, 1-800-621-3362, or TTY 1-800-462-7585 for the hearing impaired. Both numbers are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, until further notice. Residents should register only once; duplicate registrations may cause delays in the delivery of assistance.

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Source(s): Susan Combs, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts

Texas Comptroller Susan Combs wants to remind businesses damaged by Hurricane Ike that they may postpone paying state taxes, if necessary, while they clean up wind and flood damage…

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Source(s): Office of the Governor – Rick Perry

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry has ordered additional state resources to support evacuation efforts from the southeast Texas coast and Louisiana prior to the landfall of Hurricane Gustav. According to the National Weather Service, Gustav is currently a Category 3 hurricane with winds at 120 mph and potentially strengthen before making landfall on the Gulf Coast.

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