Gov. Abbott: 'Power of Hurricane Laura is unprecedented' as it barrels toward Texas

Hurricane Laura heads toward Texas carry what forecasters say could be an “unsurvivable” storm surge.

AUSTIN — Hurricane Laura, packing winds reaching 140 mph, will strike the Gulf Coast sometime around midnight Wednesday, giving Texans in its wide path just hours to evacuate, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warned.

During his second news briefing on the storm in as many days,  Abbott again warned Texans along the upper coast that Laura’s power will be so fierce, with unforgiving storm surges, that lives are in imminent danger

“The power of Hurricane Laura is unprecedented, and Texans must take action now to get out of harm’s way and protect themselves,” Abbott said. “The conditions of this storm are unsurvivable.”

After speaking with county judges and other authorities in Laura’s path, Abbott said he is worried some residents might not realize the peril they face by staying.

“The concern is that maybe the people in those areas (where the storm is expected to strike) are not fully aware about the severe dangers that people are facing,” Abbott said at the state’s command center.

Meanwhile, he said, state emergency crews are rushing boats, aircraft, buses and ambulances to Southeast Texas. By noon, some 5,000 people had already arrived at shelters being set up away from the storm’s path, and more were expected, Abbott said.

Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said no one should underestimate the peril.

“I need to re-emphasize the danger of this storm,” he said.

While he called for an orderly evacuation, Kidd said it’s already too late to make major highways in the area one-way thoroughfares away from the coast.

“The window for contraflow is closed,” he said, noting that such an operation takes at least 42 hours to set up.

Abbott’s briefing comes as more than half a million people in the path of the storm and its extended reach have been ordered to evacuate.

The National Hurricane Center said Laura has already intensified a “remarkable” amount in the past 24 hours.

Laura’s surge is projected to cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park in Texas into Louisiana.

Abbott said he expects clean-up operations to begin as soon as Thursday morning. At some point, he added, he plans to survey the damage first hand but does not want to interfere with any emergency operations.

Related Coverage

More: Laura to hit Texas, Louisiana as Category 4 hurricane as hundreds of thousands evacuate

More: Hurricane Laura: Here’s what we know so far

More: Here’s why Hurricane Laura could be so dangerous

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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