Hurricane response a team effort
Skip to main content
Careers Contact us

Hurricane response a team effort

July 19, 2024

By Jessye Fan

HOUSTON­—In the wake of Hurricane Beryl’s path through Texas, TxDOT crews have been working hard to repair, restore and resolve issues caused by the storm.

Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane near Matagorda on July 8 and moved through the Houston area with a fury. The storm brought five to ten inches of rain in some areas and had winds of up to 80 mph.

TxDOT crews in Houston immediately began their assessment of the damage, sending out crews to report high water areas, downed signs, fallen trees and debris, and damaged signals.

“We knew the damage was extensive throughout all six counties, with the coastal counties being the most affected,” said Melody Galland, TxDOT’s director of maintenance in Houston. “All Houston District sections immediately started the recovery efforts and have worked tirelessly to restore us to our pre-storm condition.”

To streamline operations, TxDOT set up a base camp in Sugar Land to serve as a center for the fleet of bucket trucks and crash cushion trucks, while also providing living quarters for the crews. TxDOT workers from all over Texas travelled to Houston to aid in the repair efforts.

Beryl left 1,254 signals damaged and over 4,800 signs downed. As of now, TxDOT has resolved 1,214 of the damaged signals and repaired 3,901 signs. Additionally, TxDOT deployed over 80 generators around the district to power dark signals.

“The recovery would have taken much longer if we didn’t have the help of all the responding crews and contracting community,” Galland continued. “So, it was a joint effort to get us to this stage in just two weeks after Hurricane Beryl landfall.”

Multiple TxDOT districts assisted with efforts related to Hurricane Beryl. Sign crew assistance came from the following districts: Atlanta, Bryan, Corpus, Dallas, San Antonio, Lufkin, Laredo, Tyler, Waco, Fort Worth, and Wichita Falls. Signal crew assistance came from the following districts: Waco, Bryan, Fort Worth, Dallas, Corpus, Tyler, Pharr, Lufkin, Beaumont, Wichita Falls, Atlanta, Abilene, Austin, Lubbock, San Angelo and Paris.