Gov. Abbott: Texas needs to prepare for possibility that Laura becomes Category 4 hurricane

AUSTIN — Texas will meet the twin challenges of getting people out of harms way as Hurricane Laura sets its sights on the Gulf Coast and protecting evacuees as best as possible from contracting COVID-19 as they seek shelter from the storm, Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday.

“We are responding to Hurricane Laura while also responding to a pandemic,” Abbott told reporters at the state’s emergency command center in Austin. “We are not taking our eye off of what needs to be done to adequately respond to a pandemic.”

Abbott said buses that will help take evacuees from the storms path will operated at reduced capacity, meaning more vehicles will be in use and more trips will be made. At shelters that are being set up around the state, steps will be taken to avoid crowding, plus personal protective equipment and testing for coronavirus will be available, the governor added.

Abbott, along with top officials from state agencies involved in emergency preparedness, held the briefing as Laura was expected to reach Category 3, and perhaps even Category 4, status as it churns Texas’ upper Gulf Coast and Louisiana.

“As many people know, it’s anticipated to be a Category 3 hurricane,” Abbott said. “We need to be prepared for the possibility that it could increase to be a Category 4 hurricane.”

More: Hundreds of thousands ordered to evacuate as Hurricane Laura forecast to hit Gulf Coast as a ‘major’ Category 3 storm

Abbott said crews from the Texas National Guard, the Department of Public Safety, along with game wardens and others will be operating dozens of air crafts, rescue boats and and other equipment to mitigate loss of life and to protect property.

And he called on Texans in the storm’s expected path to use common sense and to heed official warnings.

More: Galveston issues mandatory evacuation order as Hurricane Laura approaches

“You need to be doing all you can to protect your life,” Abbott said. “Those who stay behind may be caught in a situation that rescue teams may be challenged” to arrive in time.

Laura is expected to pack winds of around 115 mph that could reach as far north as Texarkana. A major hurricane has winds of at least 111 mph. 

More than half a million people were ordered evacuate in such Texas cities as Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur. 

“If you decide to stay, you’re staying on your own,” Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie said. 

This is a developing report. Please check back for updates.

John C. Moritz covers Texas government and politics for the USA Today Network in Austin. Contact him at jmoritz@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @JohnnieMo.

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