City Of Tyler Prepares For Possible Evacuees From Tropical Storm Isaac [UPDATE]

With Tropical Storm Isaac making its move to the north-northwest, Gulf Coast residents are at the ready to flee out of the soon to be hurricanes way and out of danger.  With the storm due to make landfall Wednesday somewhere around New Orleans, evacuees could be fleeing to East Texas to escape wind, rain, tornadoes and flooding from the hurricane.

The City of Tyler has already begun preparations to receive evacuees should the need arise by entering into an advanced stage of preparedness.  City emergency officials were a part of a statewide conference call today to determine if Tyler was going to play a role in the emergency response if needed.  According to a City Of Tyler press release, Tyler Fire Chief Tim Johnson says, "at this point, it is unknown what impact the storm could have upon Tyler; therefore we are taking all necessary steps to be prepared."

If Tyler was to play a role in the emergency response, Tyler would be an evacuation location for self evacuees and medical special needs evacuees only with shelters being enacted only if necessary.

You can stay up to date on Tropical Storm Isaac though Mix 93-1's weather partner KLTV and the StormTracker 7 Weather team of Mark Scirto, Grant Dade and Brett Collar.

Although, Tropical Storm Isaac doesn't appear to be a big threat to East Texas, it is always a good idea to have an emergency kit available and practice drills.  To get a complete list of items that should be in your disaster kit, visit ready.gov, but you should at least have enough food, water and emergency items for at least 72 hours.

We'll keep you updated if Tyler becomes an evacuee destination for those fleeing from Isaac.

UPDATE
The first shelter to open in East Texas has been set up and is ready to accept evacuees, if and when they arrive in East Texas.  The shelter is being opened by the East Texas Red Cross and is set up at St. Louis Baptist Church on Frankston Hwy.  The Red Cross has an additional five locations available should the capacity be needed.