Mayor Norie Gonzalez Garza asked Abbott to declare a state of emergency, which could trigger financial aid and other assistance, Rio Grande Valley news media reported.
In a letter to the governor dated March 4, Garza said the "entire city computer server is at severe risk of a cyberattack that could release protected personal information, protected health information, civil and criminal records, and/or any and all other data held by the city of Mission and all departments within the city.
"I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that extraordinary measures must be taken," she wrote.
Abbott has yet to respond to the request.
Also this week, Garza issued a local disaster declaration.
City officials announced Feb. 28 that they had detected a cyberattack on a portion of the city's computer network. Officials said they immediately notified law enforcement and "began working with third-party experts to investigate and remediate the incident." Some of the city's systems are being held offline to protect data.
Mission has a population of about 88,000 and is located on the Rio Grande, 245 miles south of San Antonio.
Officials have revealed little about the nature of the cyberattack, but ValleyCentral.com reported that the Mission Police Department no longer could run license plates and driver's licenses through state databases, and that police laptops were not operable.
"Please know that we are working to complete our investigation as quickly and thoroughly as we can. In the interim, our essential response services remain operational," a city new release said, referring to police and fire services.
City Manager Mike Perez told myRGV.com that city officials had been advised not to disclose details of the cyberattack for liability reasons. He did not elaborate. Perez did say that the city is working with the Texas Department of Emergency Management to resolve the situation.
He also said one of the reasons the city sought a state emergency declaration is that it would permit temporary suspension of certain laws, such as the Texas Public Information Act, which allows journalists and citizens to request access to public records.
"That gives us a little more flexibility as it relates to responding to different requests that are being made, such as open records requests," Perez told myRGV.com.
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