TEXAS – As Hurricane Laura picked up strength and moved closed to the Texas shoreline, Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday afternoon provided an update on the state’s preparations for what could be disaster.
Laura became a hurricane on Tuesday morning, and it could make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.
Abbott said it is not anticipated that Laura will be a replication of Hurricane Harvey, which tore through parts of Eastern Texas beginning exactly three years ago Tuesday.
“Today is the third-year anniversary of when Hurricane Harvey struck the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “At that time and for many days following that, Texas was battered, we were bruised, but we were not broken. The spirit of Texas came together.”
Mandatory evacuation orders went into effect in the cities of Port Arthur and Galveston, as well as Orange, Jefferson, and Jasper counties. In all, more than half a million people have been ordered to evacuate. Voluntary evacuations are in effect in the following counties and areas:
- Chambers County
- Brazoria County
- City of Baytown (Zip code specific: 77520 and 77523 for vulnerable populations in low-lying areas)
- City of Nassau Bay
- City of Seabrook
- City of Tiki Island
- City of Jamaica Beach
- Bolivar Peninsula
Abbott said four evacuation centers have been set up: A center was set to open Tuesday afternoon at Circuit of the Americas in Austin; a second center is open at 254 Gembler Road in San Antonio; the third center is located at Mesquite Reception Center in Dallas; and the fourth is located at Knights of Columbus Hall in Ennis, Texas.
If you can’t make it to an evacuation center, it is suggested you locate a hotel in a safe region. Make sure to practice social distancing however as COVID-19 remains a very real threat during the hurricane event.
Abbott said the biggest threat from Laura will be high wind. Given a Category 3 storm, winds could be as high as 115 mph. Water surges as high as 10 feet are possible, which would pose a threat to property and human lives. People are urged to stay away from the shore during surges.
A great deal of rainfall could occur as well, and river flooding and flash flooding is anticipated. There is also the possibility that the storm could generate tornadoes. Widespread power outages are anticpated along the coast.
In addition to the 23 Texas counties Abbott declared disaster areas on Sunday, he added 36 more on Tuesday. That includes Travis and Dallas counties.
The state has mobilized the Texas Army and Air National Guards, as well as the Texas State Guard, to aid local, state and federal officials.
It is anticipated Hurricane Laura will make landfall Wednesday night or Thursday morning. The storm is fast-moving and is projected to move away from Texas as soon as Thursday night.