Hurricane Laura26 Aug 2020 16:22
Hurricane Laura is expected to bring a “life threatening storm surge” to parts of the US Gulf Coast on Wednesday, officials warned, as half a million people were ordered to evacuate.
The storm is predicted to hit Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday evening, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Laura was on the verge of becoming a category 4 storm, NHC said, with maximum winds of 110mph.
As the hurricane barreled towards the US Gulf coast, healthcare workers in Texas and the south-west Louisiana region, areas which have struggled to control the coronavirus, were braced for the potential effects of a natural disaster during the pandemic
Laura was 300 miles off the US coast on Wednesday morning, and moving north-west at a speed of 15mph, the NHC said.
“Laura should approach the Upper Texas and south-west Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland near those areas tonight or Thursday morning,” the NHC said in a statement.
“Laura is forecast to become a category 4 hurricane today, and is expected to be a major hurricane at landfall.”
Laura strengthens into a hurricane and expected to slam Texas and Louisiana
At least nine local jurisdictions have issued mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders, meaning hundreds of thousands of people could be displaced by storm preparation during the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has devastated Texas and Louisiana.
Hospitals throughout the region were moving to discharge as many patients as possible who were well enough to return home and urged hurricane preparedness to prevent a potential surge in patients.
In Houston, the biggest city under threat from Laura, doctors at the largest medical system in the region told local news hospitals were ready for a potential influx as the number of Covid-19 patients continued to decline.
“All of our facilities are ready for floods and high winds so I think we’re in as good shape as we can be when these things come close to the coast,” Dr David Callender, Memorial Hermann System president and CEO,