Texas Governor Greg Abbott is holding a press conference as two storms approach the Gulf Coast, both expected to impact his state. Texas Division Of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd will join him.
The National Hurricane Center upgraded Marco to a hurricane Sunday afternoon, with maximum winds of 75 miles per hour, and the agency warned it could bring “life-threatening” storm surge.
Marco is expected to make a direct hit on Louisiana on Monday, hitting New Orleans with hurricane-force winds and dumping several inches of rain throughout the area and into North Texas.
How to watch Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s press conference today
What: Texas Governor Greg Abbott holds a press conference
Date: Sunday, August 23, 2020
Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Where: Austin, Texas
Online stream: Live on CBSN — in the player above and on your mobile or streaming device
Follow: Live hurricane updates on CBSNews.com
#Marco has become a hurricane, according to data from the Air Force @403rdWing Hurricane Hunters. Maximum winds are 75 mph (120 km/h) with higher gusts. https://t.co/MPtF0KuhE3 pic.twitter.com/o7GbutfMHU
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 23, 2020
The National Hurricane Center said Sunday that the combination of dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. Generally 2-4 feet of storm surge is possible, with some isolated pockets getting up to 6 feet.
Then Tropical Storm Laura is expected to strike western Louisiana and the Texas coast on Wednesday, possibly as a strong hurricane. While the exact trajectory of the storm is still not known, it’s likely to hit the Beaumont, Texas, area, although it could hit as far east as Louisiana, or further to the west.
Street vendors protect themselves against the rain from Tropical Storm Laura in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2020. ( AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)
Dieu Nalio Chery / AP
At least five people, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed as Laura struck Haiti this weekend, according to the country’s civil protection agency. Another two people were killed in the Dominican Republic.
As of 2 p.m. Sunday, Laura was located about 55 miles south of the eastern tip of Cuba. It had maximum winds of 50 miles per hour.
Texas, meanwhile, is still reporting a coronavirus test positivity rate of more than 12%, with an estimated 115,000 active cases of the virus in the state, according to the Texas Department of Public Health. Houston remains the epicenter of the state’s crisis, with more than 26,000 of those active cases reported in Harris County.
Jeff Berardelli contributed reporting.