NASA’s Johnson Space Center to close ahead of Hurricane Laura
NASA announced Tuesday night that it will temporarily close the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, located in Houston, Texas, to all but essential personnel. The center will close on Wednesday, and won’t reopen “until the threat of Hurricane Laura has passed.”
NASA stressed that teams in northeast Texas and in Huntsville, Alabama, will support the space station and its crew, and that it expects “no impact on critical station operations or the safety of the crew.”
Louisiana governor warns of “significant flooding”
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Laura is shaping up to look a lot like Hurricane Rita did 15 years ago when it ravaged southwest Louisiana.
“We’re going to have significant flooding in places that don’t normally see it,” the governor said.
Fearing that people would not evacuate in time, Edwards said those in southwest Louisiana need to be where they intend to ride out Laura by noon Wednesday, when the state will start feeling the storm’s effects.
Officials urged people to stay with relatives or in hotel rooms to avoid spreading COVID-19.
Meanwhile, officials in Texas said buses were stocked with protective equipment and disinfectant, and they would carry fewer passengers to keep people apart.
Whitney Frazier, 29, of Beaumont spent Tuesday morning trying to get transportation to a high school where she could board a bus to leave the area.
“Especially with everything with COVID going on already on top of a mandatory evacuation, it’s very stressful,” Frazier told The Associated Press.
Laura strengthening over the Gulf of Mexico
Hurricane Laura is strengthening over the Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 p.m. ET update. The storm is approximately 435 miles from the Louisiana coastline, and is moving northwest at approximately 17 mph.
The National Hurricane Center is warning of storm surge, heavy rainfall, wind, tornadoes and surf swells in the southeastern U.S. Parts of Texas and Louisiana could see up to 13 feet of storm surge, and the storm is projected to produce 5-10 inches of rain.
Storm surge and hurricane warnings issued in Texas and Louisiana
The National Hurricane Center issued a storm surge warning for San Luis Pass in Texas to the mouth of the Mississippi. The area could see life-threatening rain and rising water moving inland from the coastline over the next 36 hours. Meanwhile, a hurricane warning is in effect for San Luis Pass to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, where the region could see tropical-storm-force winds that make preparations dangerous, NHC added.
The hurricane center also said a storm surge watch is in effect for Freeport, Texas, to San Luis Pass, where dangerous rains and flooding could occur in the next 48 hours. A tropical storm watch is also in effect for Sargent, Texas, to San Luis Pass and east of Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Mississippi River.
More than half a million ordered to evacuate in Texas and Louisiana
In the low-lying neighborhoods around Beaumont, Texas, deputies are going door-to-door to deliver an urgent warning for people living in Hurricane Laura’s path. Three years ago — to the day — Hurricane Harvey made landfall in the area and residents are on edge.
Jefferson County Sheriff Zena Stephens just got back into her own house after being flooded out during Tropical Storm Imelda last September.
“My story is a lot of people in our community’s story. And so we understand how fast things can go really bad. And so that’s why we’re out doing what we do, asking people and to heed the warnings,” Stephens told CBS News.
The Civic Center is now a staging area for residents who need help getting out. But even with mandatory evacuation orders in place, some residents are refusing to leave.
“If something were to happen to the roof or something, I’d want to be here to fix it while I could,” resident Marilyn Sachitano told CBS News. “We’ve been fortunate so far. We’ve made it. It’s just scary to leave your stuff behind.”
More than half a million people in Texas and Louisiana are being ordered to evacuate. Space is limited and evacuations are more complicated amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“Remember just because a hurricane came does not mean COVID-19 has or is going to leave Texas,” Governor Greg Abbott said.
Experts predict Hurricane Laura’s wind could mimic what was seen during Hurricanes Ike and Rita. Officials are saying this will be a direct hit, telling people they should prepare for the worst.
Texas governor expands emergency order to 36 additional counties
Texas Governor Greg Abbott updated the public on the state’s response to Hurricane Laura, which is currently forecast to make landfall as a major hurricane over Southeast Texas late Wednesday night. Abbott also extended his disaster declaration for 36 additional counties, including Dallas.
“We are anticipating high winds, especially in East Texas and a very fast-moving storm,” said Abbott. “There will be a water surge of at least 10 feet where the storm comes ashore. People near the eye of the storm need to be aware — it could easily sweep you away, causing you to lose your life.”
Hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate the Texas and Louisiana coasts Tuesday as the storm churns in the Gulf of Mexico.
“If you are subject to one of these evacuation orders you need to be doing all you can to make sure that you take the action that needs to be taken to protect your life. Those that stay behind may be caught in a situation where rescue teams may be challenged in being able to rescue from a situation that can cause you to lose your life so please heed local warnings,” said Abbott.
MLB postpones Los Angeles Angels and Houston Astros game
The Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels will not play on Wednesday as planned because of Hurricane Laura and the potential damage it could cause to Texas and the Gulf Coast. Rather, the game will be made up as part of a doubleheader in September.
The league had already tweaked and shortened this week’s Angels-Astros series heading into the day by turning Tuesday’s contest into a doubleheader. The alteration means that the clubs have only one game to make up at a later date, as opposed to a pair. That’s important, seeing as how September’s series in Anaheim will mark their final scheduled meeting of the season.
