HURRICANE LAURA UPDATE (8/26/20 12:15pm):
The National Weather Service has Hurricane Laura tracking further east with a much higher confidence in the models than reported yesterday. This is much better news than what we were anticipating yesterday. However, the forecasted conditions remain a very serious situation for the entire county especially along our coastal areas. We can expect Tropical Storm force conditions countywide beginning early this evening. Here is what is being forecasted at this time:
EAST BOLIVAR PENINSULA – HIGH ISLAND:
Sustained wind speeds of 60+MPH with gusts up to 80+MPH starting early this evening through sunrise tomorrow. Water is already beginning to cross HWY 87 and that condition will only begin to deteriorate throughout the duration of this storm. There will be power outages and anticipate those outages occurring for a long period of time.
EAST GALVESTON ISLAND – WESTERN BOLIVAR PENINSULA:
Sustained wind speeds of 40-50MPH with gusts up to 70MPH starting this evening through sunrise tomorrow. Power outages are expected and anticipate outages occurring for an extended period of time.
WEST GALVESTON ISLAND – GALVESTON COUNTY MAINLAND:
Sustained wind speeds of 30-40MPH with higher gusts possible starting this evening through sunrise tomorrow. The sustained wind conditions will most likely cause disruptions to power in certain parts of the county for sporadic to longer periods of time.
We have power crews in place and ready to meet the needs of our communities as the Tropical Storm force winds come through our county. They will be prioritizing needs based on critical infrastructure first before addressing residential outages.
We highly encourage everyone to remove items outside of their homes and place them inside to prevent possible property damage.
