AUSTIN — AUSTIN - Commissioner George P. Bush today announced the Texas General Land Office has launched a new Hurricane Preparedness & Planning informational outreach initiative on TXGLO.org. The GLO Hurricane Preparedness and Planning initiative is a focused effort to pool local, state and federal resources, and begin prioritizing efforts to build a resilient Texas coast.

"With 367 miles of Gulf beaches and more than 3,300 miles of bays and estuaries, Texas has one of the longest coastlines in the country," Commissioner Bush said. "In the world of hurricane preparedness and recovery, information is power. To gather this vital information we must work together and communicate our findings with critical partnerships on the coast. By working together as a region - combining and coordinating local, state and federal resources, we will directly address ongoing threats to the Texas coast for future generations." 

The new Hurricane Preparedness & Planning outreach webpage on TXGLO.org features links to additional information about five concurrent studies relating to the coastal resiliency. The two largest are the Texas Coastal Resiliency Master Plan and the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study (Corps Study). The Master Plan is a statewide coastal protection study being conducted by the GLO. The results of this study be delivered in December of this year and will guide GLO priorities going in to the 85^th Session of the Texas Legislature. The Corps Study is a joint effort between the GLO and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This comprehensive feasibility study is one of the largest and most complex studies in the nation and is expected to take up to five years to complete. Other studies included on the webpage are the Storm Surge Suppression Study, the Texas Coastal Resiliency Study and the Sabine Pass to Galveston Bay Study. While each study has a specific purpose, the combination of each is helping Texas leaders to make informed decisions about coastal protection. 

"As these plans and studies reach completion, the GLO will be working closely with all relevant stakeholders to ensure a safer, more protected coast for the citizens of Texas," said Bush.

Hurricane season began June 1^st and will continue through November. Forecasters have predicted the 2016 hurricane season could produce more storms than in recent years due to the transition from El Niño to La Niña weather pattern. 

For more information about the Texas GLO please visit www.txglo.org. You can also follow the GLO on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/txglo or Twitterhttps://twitter.com/txglo.

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