Steve McCraw, the state's homeland security chief, said shelters designed to hold 250,000 Gulf Coast residents fleeing Hurricane Rita have been established in Austin, San Antonio, Lufkin, Bryan-College Station and Huntsville.
"We want everyone to have the opportunity to go. That means pets, too. We don't want anyone staying because of pets," Mr. McCraw said.
Gov. Rick Perry said the most important thing for the state to do is "to save lives and take care of our citizens."
Some New Orleans residents refused to leave their pets behind in the aftermath of Katrina, and Texas officials hope taking such steps as allowing residents to bring along crated animals can save more human lives.
Mr. Perry joined local officials in urging what would be the largest evacuation in state history. An estimated 1.2 million coastal residents have been told to pick up and move inland.
The governor warned residents that it takes 33 hours to evacuate the coastal region and that those told by their mayors to leave should start packing immediately.
"Homes and businesses can be rebuilt. Lives cannot. If you're on the coast between Beaumont and Corpus Christi, now is the time to leave," he said.
State officials are scrambling to direct evacuation traffic; move hospital and nursing home patients; deploy security, aid and rescue teams; coordinate communications; and line up needed supplies.
To facilitate the aid and response, President Bush on Wednesday declared Texas a disaster area at the governor's behest.
Mr. McCraw said many evacuees would stay in hotels or with friends and family. If the need for shelter is greater, some people could be sent to cities not originally envisioned for coastal evacuations, such as Lubbock, El Paso and Amarillo, he said.
Mr. McCraw said hospitals, nursing homes, prisons and state schools were being evacuated and the people moved to other facilities around the state.
For instance, at Texas A&M University in College Station, a hospital for large animals with the veterinary medicine school was reconfigured to make room for 250 evacuated patients, including children suffering from serious burns or physical disabilities, and elderly patients with special needs.
Dr. H. Richard Adams said the hospital, built in 1992, has oxygen service, diesel generators and the space to accommodate the patients, family and their caregivers.
By Thursday afternoon, the state expected 4,000 Guardsmen, 1,000 state troopers and massive supplies of water, ice and nonperishable food to be deployed near target areas.
Of the state's 20,000 Guardsmen, about 6,300 are on active duty and unavailable to help respond to the storm. About 4,000 of those are on duty in Iraq.
Eleven helicopters have been secured for search and rescue duty, and the American Red Cross, Salvation Army and Texas State Guard are poised to move rapidly into any area that is hit.
Dr. David McIntyre, director of Texas A&M's Integrative Center for Homeland Security, said state and local officials are working well together and have long planned for mass evacuations and other scenarios.
"I think things are really moving in the right direction," he said.
Mr. Perry said Texas was one of the best-prepared states in the nation to deal with a disaster. And he said the state must prepare for the worst.
"It is quite likely that it will be a devastating storm when it reaches Texas," Mr. Perry said.
References:wvec
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