Hurricane Laura has forced evacuations of over half a million people in Texas and Louisiana ahead of its expected landfall along the Gulf Coast early Thursday.
More than 385,000 residents have been ordered to leave the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur early Tuesday as the storm was forecast to bring life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding.
HURRICANE LAURE FORECAST TO BE CATEGORY 4 STORM AS TEXAS, LOUISIANA BRACE FOR LANDFALL
“If you decide to stay, you’re staying on your own,” Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie said.
Residents wait to board buses to evacuate Tuesday in Galveston, Texas. The evacuees are being taken to Austin, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
In southwestern Louisiana, the low-lying Calcasieu Parish issued a mandatory evacuation of 200,000 residents. Forecasters said the area could see as much as 13 feet of storm surge with waves that could leave entire communities under water.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards urged residents to take the storm seriously and reach wherever they intend to ride out the storm by noon Wednesday, when the state will start experiencing the storm’s effects.
Municipal workers fill sandbags for the elderly and those with disabilities ahead of Hurricane Laura in Crowley, La., Tuesday. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
“If you plan on evacuating and haven’t already, do so as soon as possible,” the governor tweeted. “If you travel during this storm, you will be putting your life at risk.”
Southwest Louisiana residents wait for buses at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, La. to be evacuated to a shelter in Alexandria, La., Tuesday. (Rick Hickman/American Press via AP)
In Houston, where some residents are still recovering from Hurricane Harvey three years ago, officials issued voluntary evacuation orders. Residents were asked to prepare supplies in case they lose power for a few days or need to evacuate homes along the coast.
HURRICANE LAURA SPOTTED FROM INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION
Tolls along Houston-area roadways were waived to help with evacuations, Gov. Gregg Abbott announced Tuesday.
People wait in front of the Galveston Housing Authority offices on Tuesday to board charter busses that will evacuate them from Galveston Island to Austin in anticipation of impact from Hurricane Laura. (Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)
“As Hurricane Laura approaches Texas, this waiver will ensure that Texans are able to evacuate efficiently ahead of the storm,” Abbott said. “I urge Texans in the area to continue to take all necessary precautions as Hurricane Laura nears the coast and heed the guidance of local officials.”
Workers board up windows at the Galvez Hotel & Spa, Tuesday in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Laura is now a dangerous borderline Category 3 hurricane that continues to intensify in the Gulf of Mexico. The storm has hurricane-force winds extending 70 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extending outward of up to 175 miles.
Laura is forecast to make landfall as a “catastrophic” Category 4 storm with winds upwards of 115 mph on the border between Texas and Louisiana on Thursday morning, but conditions are going to go downhill through the day on Wednesday.
Evacuated students from Texas A&M University at Galveston arrive by bus at Aloft College Station on Tuesday in College Station, Texas. (College Station Eagle via AP)
The American Red Cross said that it is critical for residents in the crosshairs of the storm to listen to local authorities and evacuate immediately if told to do so.
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“Our goal is to ensure that everyone has a safe place to go,” the organization tweeted, adding that it has already deployed more than a dozen shelter teams on the ground and placed relief supplies along the Gulf Coast to help those in Laura’s path.
Fox News’ Janice Dean and Travis Fedschun, along with The Associated Press contributed to this report.
