Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he will travel to southeast Texas Thursday to survey damage from Hurricane Laura.
Governor Abbott is planning to survey damage along with Senator John Cornyn and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
Coming Up: Watch the live press conference at 12:30 pm on KRLD.com
"Even as we're speaking right now, the storm continues to rip through East Texas," Abbott said Thursday morning. "Texans are in danger as we speak right now, and they need to continue to take cover as tornadoes and heavy storms are ripping through."
Through Thursday morning, Abbott said emergency officials had not been notified of any deaths in East Texas related to the storm. He says search and rescue teams have started searching for anyone who might have been trapped.
Evacuations were ordered for all or parts of ten counties and 19 cities along the coast from Galveston Island to the Louisiana border.
"Because so many people did evacuate, especially from the Beaumont-Port Arthur-Orange area, it probably means we were able to escape this devastating storm without a loss of life," Abbott says.
In addition to surveying damage, Abbott, Cornyn and Patrick plan to meet with local officials at Orange City Hall. Abbott's office says they will discuss "response and recovery efforts."
Abbott says the forests of East Texas can pose an additional problem, with the threat of large trees toppling as the hurricane moves north.
"We have rescue crews that were pre-positioned," he says. "Hurricanes, unfortunately, are something we're accustomed to dealing with. We were well prepared in advance. Those rescue teams, right now, are restoring power, protecting lives, and we are already going to begin the rebuilding process."
Abbott says the state saw a reduction in the number of new COVID-19 cases after Hurricane Hannah in July. He hopes the decision to shift away from large shelters and booking hotel rooms for evacuees will prevent a spike after Hurricane Laura.
