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

AUSTIN — Texas will meet the twin challenges of getting people out of harm’s way as Hurricane Laura sets its sights on the Gulf Coast and protecting evacuees from contracting COVID-19 as they seek shelter, 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 operate 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.

‘We need to be prepared’

“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

He also said experts have told him water surges as high as 10 feet are possible where the hurricane hits the shore.

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

In addition to the temporary shelters, Abbott noted that Texas has an estimated 225,000 hotel rooms available that evacuees can book.

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 where rescue teams may be challenged to be able to rescue you from a situation that could cause you to lose your life.”

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 to 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. 

Assets for hurricane preparedness

Texas A&M Forest Service: Incident management teams, chainsaw crews, firefighting strike teams, and water evacuation and rescue teams.

Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service: Urban search and rescue teams and swift water rescue teams, including Texas A&M Task Force 1 and 2.

Texas A&M Agrilife: Agents positioned to support emergency operations centers and disaster finance teams.

Texas Military Department: High-profile water rescue vehicles, airplanes and helicopters for evacuation and rescue, shelter management teams, evacuee tracking network teams, 6th Civilian Response Team available for hazardous material response.

Texas Department of Public Safety: Rescue helicopters, command and control airplanes, swift water rescue boat teams, flood response boat teams, dive boat teams, as well as Troopers, agents, and rangers to assist local law enforcement with evacuation and securing evacuated areas.

Texas Parks and Wildlife: Game wardens, state park police, swift water rescue boats, shallow water evacuation boats, air boats, incident management teams, and a helicopter rescue team.

Texas Department of Transportation: High-profile water rescue vehicles, traffic control devices, and flood protection barriers.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Water and wastewater monitoring teams and hazmat response teams.

Recent hurricane history

The briefing came on the third anniversary of Hurricane Harvey’s landing on the Texas Coast that caused more than $125 billion in flood and wind damage and claimed more than 100 lives.

Abbott said the evacuations from Laura are expected to exceed those of Harvey. That’s why, he said, supplies of gasoline have been “surged” to the coast and to retail outlets across Texas to ensure adequate supplies and to minimize price spikes.

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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