SAN ANTONIO – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott urged Texans living in the eastern portion of the state to evacuate before Hurricane Laura makes landfall Wednesday evening.
The storm, which is now expected to be a Category 4 hurricane, is expected to hit the border of Texas and Louisiana around 7 p.m., giving residents only a few hours to evacuate safely if they have not done so already.
“The concern is that maybe the people in those areas are not fully aware about the severe danger that people are facing,” Abbott said.
Even outside the hurricane’s cone, Abbott said “unsurvivable” storm surges and heavy winds are expected to continue for up to 30 miles inland.
Jefferson and Orange counties are expected to be impacted first by Hurricane Laura.
For residents who stay in the impacted areas, Abbott warned that rescuers will not be able to help until the storm subsides.
“And so, we urge everybody who may be in harm’s way to take these few last hours to get out of harm’s way,” Abbott said.
WATCH: KSAT Meteorologist Justin Horne reports from High Island, east of Galveston
More than half a million people have been ordered to evacuate their homes in the area of the Gulf Coast along the Texas-Louisiana border, according to the Associated Press. People living in cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur have been told to evacuate.