FEMA has declared September as National Preparedness Month .

It's a reminder that it's never too early to prepare for an emergency or natural disaster. This is especially true when living along the Gulf Coast during hurricane season. ABC13 Meteorologist Elyse Smith recently spoke with the Texas Department of Transportation, known as TxDOT , to learn more about the latest evacuation procedures for the region.

Matthew Heinze is the Maintenance and Emergency Management Coordinator for Statewide Emergencies for TxDOT. He tells ABC13 that hurricane evacuation procedures across the Texas coast are reviewed ahead of each hurricane season. This includes any updates to routes that might need to change based on population growth and any new or ongoing construction.

"When we look at populati

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