Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he's now activated 14,000 members of the Texas National Guard -- the highest level ever deployed.
Abbott made the announcement during a news conference Wednesday.
I last announced that we had 12,000 National Guard members activated. That number has been increased to 14,000. The reason for that is because some members have come back from deployment overseas; others who were unable to participate because their own homes had been subject to flooding or damage they are now able to help participate," Abbott said. "Bottom line, we’re now up to our highest level on the number of Texas National Guard members who are deployed to help our fellow Texans deal with these challenges."
Abbott added that overnight Tuesday there were more than 32,000 Hurricane Harvey evacuees sleeping in about 175 Texas shelters.
Abbott stressed that the state has about 30,000 additional beds available for those needing shelter and that emergency management officials are developing back-up plans in case more beds are needed.
