The hurricane has become a Category 4 storm as it closes in on the easternmost border of Texas.
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Three years ago this week, forecasters often used a phrase to describe Hurricane Harvey as it barreled toward Houston: "No one predicted anything like this." Three years on, we now face one monster-sized Hurricane, Laura, gaining strength as it approaches the shores of Louisiana and Texas. On Tuesday, towns and cities along the Gulf of Mexico from Galveston to the Texas state line, prepared for the worst. But again, no one predicted that Hurricane Laura would become a Category 4 as it closed in on the easternmost border of Texas. Evacuations in southeast Texas have been complicated by COVID-19 , with officials imploring that evacuees continue to use face masks and maintain social distancing. As far east as Austin, open air facilities like the Circuit of the Americas have been designated to provide some sort of gathering place with services for people fleeing Hurricane Laura. But as of this writing, with memories still fresh from Harvey and injuries still healing from that storm, few are willing to be more precise about the point of impact or the extent of damage of Hurricane Laura, except to say that it is likely to happen in the early hours of Thursday morning. And it is likely to be intense, reaching well inland packing winds in excess of 110 miles per hour. It is our top story and with our partner stations and reporters statewide, we will remain on top of it for the duration. Stay tuned to your public radio station for the latest, and as always, we remain with you 24/7 at TexasStandard.org.
- David Brown
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  • As Galveston Evacuates Before Hurricane Laura, Some Choose To Weather The Storm (Houston Public Media)
  • With Few Eviction Protections Remaining, Texas Could Face A Housing Crisis Of 'Epic Proportions' (KERA North Texas)
  • San Antonio City Council To Consider Complete Ban Of Chokeholds, No-Knock Warrants By SAPD (Texas Public Radio)
  • TABC Alters Rules So More Bars In Texas Can Reopen As Restaurants (KUT Austin)
Hello, I’m Davis Land , senior producer and resident plate spinner/fire-putter-outter at Houston Public Media. This week, we’re gearing up to cover Hurricane Laura almost exactly three years after Hurricane Harvey devastated the Gulf Coast. Last night, I packed up my recording gear, got out my shin-high neoprene boots, and put a few days’ worth of clothes into a duffel bag. I filled up my cat’s automatic feeder and checked the fridge for anything that could go bad if we lose power. This evening, I’ll head back to our studios in Houston’s Third Ward for the first time in several months, where I’ll spend the night as Hurricane Laura makes landfall. Our region is still recovering from storms stretching back even before Harvey, and here we are – in the middle of a once-in-a-century pandemic – about to go through another one. Some of the folks most vulnerable to COVID-19 are also most vulnerable to hurricane damage and I can’t stop thinking about it. In the coming days, we’ll see the typical stories: homes flooded, businesses destroyed, coastal tourism towns unsure of the future, families already on the financial edge pushed even further. But this time, every single one of those stories will be amplified as residents try to navigate recovery in the wake of what’s already been a devastating year. It’s going to be hard to cover, but we’ll be there, mic in hand, ready to tell you the story.
- Davis Land
@davis_land
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