City Prepares to Shelter Residents Displaced by Hurricane Laura
August 26, 2020 - San Antonio
Laura’s coming. The City of San Antonio and Bexar County are preparing to shelter evacuees as Hurricane Laura threatens the Northwest Gulf Coast. Screenshot: National Weather Service.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Staff Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- The still-strenghtening Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday morning
- The City of San Antonio and Bexar County are preparing to assist Gulf Coast residents during the hurricane evacuation
The City of San Antonio and Bexar County are preparing to assist Gulf Coast residents during the current hurricane evacuation. The still-strengthening Hurricane Laura is expected to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border as a Category 4 hurricane Thursday morning. Some meteorologists have already compared Laura to Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 tropical cyclone that hit the Florida Panhandle in 2018.
Catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding are expected along the northwest Gulf Coast Wednesday evening.
Presently, the City and County have been asked to assist with sheltering a small number of displaced residents. Should the need to shelter more residents arise, preparation is in place to do so.
To avoid potential evacuees from arriving at the shelters before they have been checked in, specific locations of shelters is not being made public. Additionally, to avoid a crowded shelter, state officials are looking to house evacuees in hotels in the light of the coronavirus pandemic.
All displaced residents and evacuees must go to 200 Gembler Road to be checked in before receiving shelter locations.
Jade Esteban Estrada is a staff writer at the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.