Abbott Flew To Asia Despite Knowing Hurricane Beryl Would Hit Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott proudly tweeted about his trip to Asia on Monday as Hurricane Beryl killed two people and left more than 2 million Texans without power.

Abbott left Friday for a trip to South Korea, Taiwan and Japan to meet with Asian business leaders and “to drive forward progress in industries critical to the future of the global economy,” according to his office.

Before Abbott left Texas, most forecasts had Beryl making landfall in Texas on Monday.

The hurricane made landfall near the town of Matagorda, about 85 miles south-southwest of Houston with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph. The storm has produced floods in the Houston area and has caused at least one tornado in the state.

Two people died in Harris County after the wind caused trees to fall on their homes.

So far, the storm has left more than 2.7 million homes and businesses without power.

A day before the hurricane had hit the state, Abbott posted on social media that he would be in touch with officials in preparation for the storm.

“While I am in Taiwan, South Korea & Japan working on business deals worth billions, I remain in daily contact with Texas Division of Emergency Management & local officials to ensure preparation for Hurricane Beryl,” he wrote. “Your safety is our top concern.”

The Daily Beast noted that the situation reassembled the time when U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz went on a trip to Cancun during Winter Storm Uri.

On Monday, Abbott posted on X/Twitter about his trip with South Korean business leaders. Many of the responses to his post, were in recrimination for him leaving the state as the Hurricane was bringing destruction.

After his posts about his trip, he wrote a post reminding Texans that he was in regular contact with state officials and TDEM.

In an interview from Seoul on Monday, Abbott addressed the storm issue.

“Texas has probably the top division of emergency management in the country, and I just got off the phone with the chief of that division,” He told CNBC. “We’re concerned about a… heavy rain challenge that we’re going to see in the state of Texas as well as the winds that continue to whip through the greater Houston area.”