Public officials from Kleberg County, Bishop and Driscoll are on high alert waiting for Alex to make its mark here, with tropical or hurricane force winds and rain.

Alex is in the Gulf of Mexico, churning its way north by northwest.

Weather officials were anticipating that Alex would reach full hurricane status Tuesday night, but no later than Wednesday morning.

A hurricane warning was issued Tuesday afternoon for the South Texas coast from Baffin Bay down to Brownsville and into Mexico.

Alex is expected to make landfall as early as Wednesday evening, most likely along the coast of Northern Mexico.

The Kleberg County Office of Emergency Management along with Kleberg County officials and law enforcement agencies have been meeting twice a day since Monday in conference calls with the National Weather Service and State Operations Center in Austin.

“Right now we are in the preparedness stage and are just making sure that all entities in the area have tested their generators and have adequate supplies in the event of flooding or power outages,” Tomas Sanchez, Kleberg County Emergency Manager said.

Sanchez is trying to raise awareness about 2-1- 1 Texas, a program of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, which is committed to helping Texas citizens connect with the services they need.

“If you will need help evacuating in the event of a

Alex hurricane, you can dial 2-1-1 to register in advance for transportation,” Sanchez said.

The program is geared towards those citizens in need who do not have the ability to evacuate themselves.

There are five levels of urgencies in which helps the state identify each case. The levels are as follows:

• Level 1: A person who is dependent on others or in need of others

for routine care such as eating and walking. Children under

18 without adult supervision are also included under level one. • Level 2: A person who is blind, hearing impaired, or has an amputation.

• Level 3: A person needing assistance with medical care administration,

monitoring by a nurse, is dependent on equipment, needs

assistance with medications, or has mental health disorders. • Level 4: A person outside of an institutional facility care setting

who requires extensive medical oversight such as chemotherapy,

life support, or is morbidly obese.

• Level 5: A person in institutional settings such as hospitals or

long time care living facilities.

Sanchez said local entities are on standby and are just waiting to see which way the tropical storm goes; however, they will be prepared either way.

“We have been in contact with the local school districts for buses and the hospital for their resources. We are prepared for the worst and are taking every precaution possible,” Sanchez said.

“Even if we are not in the direct path of the tropical storm we still expect rain and high winds so we want our citizens to be prepared.”

Sanchez encourages citizens to invest in hurricane supplies such as sandbags, water, non-perishable foods, battery operated televisions and radios, and first aid kits.

“This is just the beginning of hurricane season so even if we are not too effected by Alex it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stock up on these items either way,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez also encourages citizens to use their best judgments when determining whether or not to evacuate.

“People who have lived in this area for many years should know the routine by now and should be able to determine whether or not they need to evacuate their area,” Sanchez said.

“Citizens in low lying areas near the beach such as in Ricardo and Riviera and in the RV parks need to take extra precautions in dealing with flooding.”

Many local entities are on standby including the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Department and Christus Spohn Hospital Kleberg to determine if evacuations will be needed.

“Based on what was said on the conference calls, there are no current evacuations in progress anywhere in the area but plans are already in motion if needed,” Sanchez said.

On Monday, Texas Governor Rick Perry declared 19 counties in the South Texas area including Kleberg, Kenedy and Nueces Counties as disaster areas and ordered the pre-deployment of state resources here.

The governor’s declaration allows the state to initiate necessary preparedness efforts and predeployment of resources such as Texas Military Forces to ensure local communities are ready to respond to disasters.

Local entities including NAS Kingsville, Texas A&M University- Kingsville, the Riviera and Ricardo Volunteer Fire Departments, and Medical Reserve Corps have expressed their support in assisting the county with anything that may be needed.

“Right now we are playing the waiting game to see what this storm brings and all of our resources are being exercised to their highest abilities,” Sanchez said. “We do not want to take any chances.”