Brown, Watson sign wildfire disaster declarations - Austin Monitor

""On Friday I signed a disaster declaration," Brown said. "It will allow Travis County to proactively access resources, streamline emergency coordination (and) reinforce wildfire prevention efforts.""

""Austin now ranks fifth in the nation in the number of homes facing wildfire risks," Watson said."

""This September... was the fifth driest on record. We got some really good rains over the summer, but that has pretty stopped for now," he said, noting the dry conditions that make the Central Texas area so vulnerable to wildfires."

Travis County Judge Andy Brown and Austin Mayor Kirk Watson signed preemptive disaster declarations to address elevated wildfire risk and enable faster emergency response. The declarations allow local officials to proactively access resources, streamline emergency coordination, track public safety expenses, and facilitate state or federal reimbursement if a wildfire occurs. Watson said Austin ranks fifth nationally for the number of homes facing wildfire risk and cited current dry conditions as the reason for signing. Brown noted recent small fires that were contained and emphasized that September was among the driest on record. Both officials urged residents to sign up for Warn Central Texas and request a free structural ignition zone evaluation from the Austin Fire Department to strengthen home defenses.

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