Texas has dramatically expanded its disaster response as Winter Storm Fern continues to grip the state, with Governor Greg Abbott adding 85 counties to the emergency declaration on Monday — bringing the total to a staggering 219 of the state’s 254 counties now under disaster status.
“Communities across the state have been impacted by this weekend’s winter weather,” Abbott announced in a statement. “I am updating my disaster declaration to include additional counties to help more Texans during these freezing temperatures.”
Massive Mobilization Underway
The winter storm, which has brought freezing rain, ice accumulation, and sub-freezing temperatures to much of Texas, has triggered what officials are calling one of the largest emergency responses in recent years. State agencies have deployed more than 10,900 responders and nearly 5,000 vehicles and equipment pieces across affected regions, with personnel from over 15 agencies coordinating relief efforts, according to state officials.
More than 375 warming centers have opened their doors to residents seeking shelter from the dangerous cold. “Whenever we go through any type of disaster, job number one is always protecting lives,” Abbott emphasized during a recent briefing.
The expanded declaration now includes major population centers like Bexar County, home to San Antonio, which was among the 85 counties added to the emergency list. Houston-area counties — including Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston, Austin, and Brazoria — have also been incorporated into the disaster zone as conditions deteriorated over the weekend.
Local Impacts Mounting
Just how severe is the situation on the ground? In Hardin County, local officials didn’t wait for state action, declaring their own local state of disaster on January 24 as Storm Fern threatened the region with at least a quarter-inch of ice accumulation, sleet, snowfall, and punishing wind gusts exceeding 30 MPH, according to county documents.
The City of Odessa similarly issued its own disaster declaration, determining that “extraordinary measures” were needed to protect residents from the January 2026 winter storm, the city stated in its emergency proclamation.
Abbott has urged residents to remain vigilant as the state’s emergency response ramps up. “Texans should continue to monitor local weather forecasts and road conditions to keep themselves and their families safe,” he advised, adding thanks to emergency management officials “as they work around the clock to help Texans across the state recover from this winter storm.”
Resources Mobilized
The disaster declaration activates emergency plans that unlock both state and federal assistance for affected communities. The Texas National Guard, Texas Department of Transportation, and numerous other state agencies have been engaged in response operations since Abbott’s initial proclamation declaring the disaster.
This isn’t the first time Texas has faced widespread winter weather emergencies. The state’s response comes amid lingering memories of past winter storms that severely tested the electric grid and emergency services.
For now, officials are focused on immediate needs — clearing roads, maintaining power, and ensuring vulnerable residents have access to warm shelter as temperatures remain dangerously low across much of the state.
“I thank Texas emergency management officials as they work around the clock,” Abbott said, in what has become a round-the-clock operation touching nearly every corner of the nation’s second-largest state.
