It’s dry, folks  |  Gladewater adopts emergency operations plan to qualify for state assistance

No surprise, local drought conditions are worse this week. In a worst case scenario, though, Gladewater’s in slightly better shape.
Council members here signed off on the 2026 Gregg County Emergency Services Operations Plan Aug. 25. It’s standard operating procedure, but it’s an important one.
“This is so when we go into a drought contingency plan or a fire burn ban this will cover us if we have some issues,” Gladewater City Manager Charlie Smith said.
Gregg County instituted its local burn ban in mid-August, and the City of Gladewater immediately followed suit. Upshur County’s in no better shape as far as moisture is concerned, and commissioners there have a similar countywide prohibition in place.
“It we have an issue with fire that comes in and there’s state funding that comes in to help with emergency stuff, we would be covered by going under this plan,” Smith said.
Should the need arise and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issues an emergency declaration, Gladewater’s poised to receive assistance.
“It’s a no-brainer,” councilman Kevin Clark agreed.
Both Upshur County and Gregg were already on the lowest rung of the Keetch-Byrum Drought Index (KBDI) last week, and they shifted a little bit deeper into the danger zone the past seven days.
As of Aug. 31, Gregg County’s mean has fallen from 723.33 Aug. 24 to 748.61 on a scale from 0 to 800. The KBDI max in the county is 773; the minimum is 715.
By comparison, Upshur County rating has moved from 722.02 last week to 747.19 Monday with a max of 783 and a minimum of 692.