» Abbott declares a disaster in 36 additional counties after a similar declaration in 23 counties on Sunday.
AUSTIN — On the third anniversary of Hurricane Harvey, Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday warned coastal residents to prepare for heavy rain and winds as Hurricane Laura approaches the Gulf Coast.
He declared a state disaster in 36 additional counties, including Travis and Dallas, after issuing a similar declaration in 23 coastal counties on Sunday.
Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall Wednesday night or Thursday morning as a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds, forecasters say. The exact trajectory of the storm is unclear, but the possibility remains that the Houston-Galveston area could be hit hard with flooding and heavy winds as the storm approaches the Texas-Louisiana border.
Local officials along the coastline — including those in Harris, Hidalgo and Galveston counties — are already urging residents to evacuate. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in Jasper, Jefferson, Newton and Orange counties, as well as the cities of
Galveston and Port Arthur.
“The timing issue is that we have only a few more hours for people to make sure they take the action that is needed to ensure their safety and the safety of their property,” Abbott said. “We urge swift action be taken over the next 12 hours.”
He said reception centers were opening Tuesday in San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth and Austin.
The state is preparing for the possibility that the storm could upgrade to a Category 4 hurricane — with an impact similar to that of hurricanes Ike or Rita, Abbott said, but not as devastating as Harvey.
“This is going to be more of a wind event,” Abbott said. “There will be some very meaningful gusts of winds along the coastline coming inland.”
It will be a “fast-moving storm,” Abbott said, and is expected to leave Texas as early as Thursday night. But the hurricane will also bring “a lot of devastation, wreck upon Texas,” along with high water levels and the possibility of tornadoes and power outages.
Laura is the more urgent threat after a pair tropical storms had been anticipated to hit the Texas coast this week. Tropical Storm Marco — which briefly upgraded to hurricane status on Sunday but weakened by the day’s end — began collapsing Monday after making landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Abbott urged residents to heed the advice of local officials and act quickly to evacuate as needed. He also reiterated the threat of COVID-19 during the evacuations, urging them to wear masks and practice social distancing as they move.
Buses will contain fewer evacuees than usual, and shelters will implement distancing protocol. Abbott is encouraging Texans to utilize more than 225,000 hotel rooms available statewide to help provide housing.
Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said buses that transport evacuees will contain personal protective equipment, masks and disinfecting supplies. He said the state will also set up coronavirus testing sites at shelters as communities open them.
“We are responding to Hurricane Laura while also responding to a pandemic, and we are not taking our eye off of what needs to be done to adequately respond to the pandemic,” Abbott said.