Officials provide update on response, recovery efforts following Beryl's landfall; 1.3M still without power in Houston

AUSTIN (KXAN) — During a briefing Wednesday, Acting Governor Dan Patrick, Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Chief Nim Kidd and other officials provided an update on the state’s Hurricane Beryl response and recovery efforts.

Beryl made landfall in Texas early Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.

More than 1.3 million Houston-area customers were without power as of Wednesday morning.

During the conference, Patrick said the state was working to get supplies and manpower to areas in need. Patrick said the goal was to help clear debris, feed families, and provide water and ice, as well as help set up cooling stations.

TDEM also said it was working with the debris management plans to bring in additional saw crews.

The division also said 25 additional ambulances were sent to the Houston area to assist with 911 calls following a shortage due to the emergency department waiting to offload patients.

The state said it was working to finalize fatality numbers from the storm, but Patrick said it was currently estimated at approximately 10 people.

Damage from the storm should be reported through the Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (iSTAT).