EVACUATIONS OF Galveston Island on Monday was the first domino to fall as the area braces for the potential impact of Tropical Storm Laura.
While Marco, which was expected to make landfall toward the Louisiana-Mississippi coast on Monday, the threat of Laura presents a more serious threat. Laura could develop into a Category 1 hurricane that — as of Monday afternoon — had its sights set for a direct hit upon the Galveston-Houston area.
Louisiana was able to breathe a sigh of relief on Monday when tropical storm warnings were discontinued. The state still received its share of rain and winds once Marco made landfall.
As for Galveston County, the area could still receive rain and winds up to 30 mph when the remnants of Marco comes through the area on Wednesday, setting it up to be the possible precursor to the stronger winds and rain of Laura.
Galveston County Judge Mark Henry said on Sunday that the County’s Emergency Management team would have a clear gameplan once Laura crossed through Cuba late on Monday.
“There is talk of significant storm surge,” said Henry. “We want to make sure that if that occurs, we have plenty of time to order evacuations to get people out of the affected regions.”
Laura had not fully developed, yet will gather momentum with potential winds up to 105mph. Various models have Laura projected to make landfall sometime on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning anywhere between Galveston and Lake Charles, LA.
The center of Laura appears to be aimed toward the central Louisiana coast, but even if it continues on an easterly path, the Galveston area would still receive high winds and heavy rains.
“A direct hit from Laura is not out of the question,” said KTRK-13 meterologist Rachel Briers.
Galveston County was one of 23 counties that Governor Greg Abbott announced as a state of disaster on Monday, which was further approved by President Donald Trump, who authorized federal assistance to go along with state, county and city support.
Laura’s projected landfall comes almost three years to the day of the peak of Hurricane Harvey’s destruction. Harvey became the wettest storm in American history, leaving much of Galveston County underwater for days. Moody Analytics estimated that Harvey’s economic cost was between $81 billion and $108 billion, while the $125 million in damages tied Hurricane Katrina for the most devastating in American annuals.
