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As Texas faces the start of the 2025 hurricane season, Montgomery county is declaring it’s ready, after a mostly successful response to Hurricane Beryl last year.
“Beryl had the potential to be an absolute nightmare,” recalled County Judge Mark Keough. “In some cases, it was, but it was nothing like it could have been if we hadn’t been prepared.”
The area suffered widespread damage and power failures when the Category 1 hurricane swept through in July of 2024, most of the havoc wreaked by its intense winds.
“We watched that hurricane and predicted it was going to hit us before it hit the coast. We were ready,” Keough said.
Cleanup of trees and debris cost $27 million, about half of which was reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The toughest challenge, Keough says, was electricity. Power failures left large parts of the county in the dark. “The biggest trouble was with Centerpoint,” he said. “But they have come around. I think we’re in good shape. I think those guys are ready to go.”
With the county practiced for the next big storm, Keough urges families to make sure they’re prepared at home. “This is hurricane season. Be ready for it!” he said. “Have a supply of food, food for your pets. If you know you’re in a flood prone area, have a way to escape.”
Communities too, he adds.
“We can’t just let this stuff roll in on us,” he exclaimed, “and go ‘well, we didn’t really expect it.’ That’s nonsense. We need to be prepared. And I believe Montgomery County is.”