Hurricane Laura: Evacuations Ordered Across Texas Gulf Coast

Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall on the Texas and Louisiana coasts Wednesdayevening as buses of evacuees fled the Texas Gulf Coast for inland cities as the National Hurricane Center warned of unsurvivable storm surges that could penetrate up to 30 feet inland from the immediate coastline.

The storm is expected to make landfall as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane, the first major hurricane to hit the area since Hurricane Harvey in 2017.

Over a half a million people were under evacuation orders near the Texas-Louisiana state lines, including the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur, and the low-lying Calcasieu and Cameron parishes in southwestern Louisiana, where forecasters said storm surge topped by waves could submerge whole communities.

Below is a list of mandatory and voluntary evacuations ordered in Texas:

A mandatory evacuation is in place for the Bolivar Peninsula in Galveston County. Also, a voluntary evacuation is in place for the Bay Shore areas of San Leon and Bacliff as well as the unincorporated areas of Freddiesville.

Galveston is under a mandatory evacuation. Residents were told they needed to leave the island by noon on Tuesday, however officials later said that is not the case and evacuations would be ongoing Tuesday and early Wednesday.

A mandatory evacuation is in effect for low-lying and flood prone areas in Chambers County.

In Brazoria County, a voluntary evacuation is in place for low-lying coastal communities outside the protection levee.

In Harris County, a voluntary evacuation is in place for ZIP zones A and B. See the specific ZIP codes under the voluntary evacuation orders.

Orange County and Jefferson County are both under mandatory evacuation orders. Officials in Beaumont and Port Arthur, both located in Jefferson County, have also issued separate mandatory evacuation orders. In Polk County, a mandatory evacuation is in effect for those living in mobile homes or trailers in the county's unincorporated areas and the incorporated areas of Livingston, Corrigan, Onalaska, Goodrich and Seven Oaks.

Reporting and writing from The Associated Press was used in this report.