Dennis Phillips dennis@silsbee-bee.com Jasper County News JASPER — While catastrophic flooding continues to threaten much of Texas, residents of Jasper and Hardin counties have reason for cautious optimism after Gov. Greg Abbott's latest disaster declaration left both counties off the list of areas facing the state's most severe weather emergency. Abbott on Tuesday declared a state of disaster for 59 Texas counties following days of heavy rainfall and flash flooding across South Texas, the Hill Country, Central Texas and portions of Southeast Texas. The declaration allows the Texas Division of Emergency Management and state agencies to rapidly deploy personnel, equipment and resources to communities facing widespread flooding and storm-related damage. The governor also directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to maintain 24-hour operations at the State Emergency Operations Center under a Level II Escalated Response, positioning state resources to respond as conditions evolve. Additional counties may be added to the disaster declaration if weather conditions worsen. Among the counties identified as experiencing the most severe flooding impacts are Uvalde, Kerr, Medina, Bandera, Bexar, Comal and Kendall. Those areas have reported dangerous flash flooding, water rescues, road closures and rapidly rising rivers following repeated rounds of heavy rainfall. The declaration also includes counties extending from the Rio Grande through the Hill Country and into the Austin, San Antonio and Houston metropolitan areas. Counties covered under the declaration include Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Blanco, Brazoria, Brewster, Burnet, Caldwell, Colorado, Comal, Crockett, DeWitt, Dimmit, Edwards, Fayette, Fort Bend, Frio, Galveston, Gillespie, Goliad, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Harris, Hays, Jackson, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Llano, Mason, Matagorda, Maverick, McMullen, Medina, Menard, Pecos, Real, Schleicher, Sutton, Terrell, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Victoria, Waller, Washington, Webb, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Zapata and Zavala counties. Notably absent from the governor's declaration are Jasper County, Hardin County and neighboring Deep East Texas counties, including Tyler, Newton, Sabine and Polk counties. Although periods of heavy rain and scattered thunderstorms remain possible across the region, forecasters are not predicting the widespread, life-threatening flooding affecting areas farther west and southwest. For residents of Jasper and Hardin counties, the distinction is significant. While localized flooding remains possible, particularly near creeks, bayous and low-water crossings, emergency managers are not facing the same large-scale flooding emergency confronting much of Central and South Texas. The National Weather Service continues to forecast additional rainfall across portions of Southwest, Central and Southeast Texas through the end of the week, raising concerns that repeated storms over the same areas could worsen flooding conditions. State officials are urging Texans to monitor local forecasts, remain alert for changing weather conditions and avoid traveling across flooded roadways. To support local governments, the State Emergency Operations Center has activated resources from numerous state agencies, including the Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas National Guard, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service, Texas A&M Forest Service, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, Texas Emergency Medical Task Force, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service and Texas Cyber Command. Abbott emphasized that protecting Texans remains the state's highest priority and encouraged residents in affected areas to prepare emergency supplies, follow instructions from local officials and remain weather aware. For Deep East Texas residents, the message remains one of preparedness rather than alarm. While Jasper and Hardin counties have been spared inclusion in the state's disaster declaration, local emergency officials continue monitoring conditions and encourage residents to remain vigilant as weather patterns can change.