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With the governor out of the country, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick leads Hurricane Beryl response

The Texas Constitution temporarily shifts authority until Gov. Greg Abbott returns from an official trip to East Asia.

AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has been the face of Texas’ preparation for, and response to, Hurricane Beryl.

That’s because the Texas Constitution promoted the lieutenant governor to acting governor Friday, when Gov. Greg Abbott left for an East Asia business trip.

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The constitution empowers the lieutenant governor to “exercise the powers and authority appertaining to the office of Governor” under three scenarios:

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Or with:

  • When the governor is temporarily unable to serve or temporarily disqualified from serving.
  • When the governor is impeached until the governor is acquitted.
  • When the governor leaves the state until the governor returns.

Abbott, who is expected back in Texas on Saturday, remains “in regular contact” with emergency management and state officials, he wrote in a social media post.

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As acting governor, Patrick issued a disaster declaration Friday for 40 counties, expanded that list by 81 Saturday and briefed the media on the state’s preparations for Beryl’s landfall alongside Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd on Sunday.

Later Sunday, he advised Texans east of the I-35 corridor to shelter in place and take precautions “for sustained wind, heavy rain, flooding, storm surges on the east coast, and possible tornados.”

“Do not ignore this very serious storm,” Patrick warned.

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In an interview Monday morning with The Weather Channel, Patrick said northeast Texas residents should expect lots of rain as Beryl moves past Houston late Monday into areas such as Lufkin, Tyler, Texarkana and Longview, which could receive 6 to 12 inches of rain.

“Houston is getting the brunt of the wind and the rain and will have potential flooding,” Patrick said. “This is not like a one-day event, and in Northeast Texas, people have to be aware. They’re not going to have the heavy winds that we’ve had in the Houston area, but they will have a lot of rain.”

At least one Texan has died — a Harris County man killed when a tree fell on his home.

“All of us want to preserve life,” Patrick said Monday. “You can rebuild a building — it may not be pleasant — and you can restore things, but not a life. And so we want people to stay indoors. Be careful.”

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