Texas has requested five mortuary trailers from FEMA in anticipation of a surge of COVID-19 deaths, according to state officials.
After Texas officials reviewed COVID-19 data, they decided to request the trailers on August 4, says Department of State Health Services spokesperson Doug Loveday.
“We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as Covid cases and hospitalizations continue to increase,” Loveday said.
Chris Van Deusen, another spokesperson for the same agency, also commented on the request. “We haven’t gotten any local requests, but we want to be ready with the COVID cases in the state,” he said. “We didn’t want to wait.”
Bruce Davidson, a spokesperson for San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, said simply the request “makes sense.”
Texas’ seven-day average of COVID deaths is at its highest since March.
The trailers are expected to arrive Friday.
