Hurricane Laura is almost a Category 5 storm, already stronger than Katrina

US Customs and Border Protection sent helicopters to the Gulf Coast earlier today to prepare for a potential recovery effort after Hurricane Laura blows through.

“Air and Marine Operations teams are staging aircraft for resupply, damage assessment, and rescue missions,” the agency said in a press release.

Two Black Hawk helicopters capable of hoist rescues arrived in Louisiana alongside a fixed-wing plane, and the agency says more aircraft are on the way.

Incident commanders are now on the ground in Houston, Texas, and Hammond, Louisiana. Field Operations and Border Patrol agents have also been pre-deployed to provide relief.

Hurricane Laura is only seven miles per hour away from becoming a Category 5 storm -- and is already stronger than Hurricane Katrina, according to CNN meteorologist Tom Sater.

"It's now in the top 10 of the greatest hurricanes to ever make landfall in the continental US," Sater said. "This is going to really make an impact, and not just to the coastline, but well inland."

Sater warned the hurricane's winds -- measuring up to 150 miles per hour -- could destroy homes, buildings, hospitals, cut off power and damage businesses. Power outages could stretch from Houston all the way north through Little Rock, Arkansas, in the coming days.

Parts of the coast are already seeing storm surges of four feet, and that could increase to 15 or 20 feet when the storm makes landfall -- about as high as the top of a second-story building, Sater said.

Watch:

A Cameron Parish Sheriff's deputy waves at a roadblock on LA 27 as residents evacuate Cameron in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Wednesday, August 26, ahead of Hurricane Laura. Gerald Herbert/AP

In Cameron Parish, Louisiana, 150 residents have refused to leave during the mandatory evacuation order ahead of Hurricane Laura.

“Out of 6,500 residents, most got out,” said Ashley Buller, Assistant Director of Emergency Operations for the parish.  

“We have a lot of construction workers on (liquefied natural gas) LNG projects,” Buller added. Most of these workers aren't parish residents and live in travel trailers -- some evacuated, but others stayed in the trailers.

Parish sheriff deputies went door-to-door to encourage people to leave.

Hurricane Laura would be the third major storm to strike Cameron Parish in the last 15 years, after Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ike. Water is the main concern: Hurricane Ike caused huge flooding, and parish officials are bracing for Hurricane Laura to be even worse.

On Wednesday, billboards around Beaumont, Texas, were punctured to prepare for the strong wind Hurricane Laura is expected to bring to the area. 

"I checked with our operations team, and they said that many of our billboard structures have what we call a hurricane frame, which is basically a panel-free frame," said Allie McAlpin, Communications Director of Lamar Advertising, whose team is conducting the hurricane preparations.

"When we are getting ready for a hurricane, we try to remove the vinyls first. As time runs out, we cut the vinyl (which is what you were seeing), so the wind can blow through the structure."

Hurricane Laura is continuing to strengthen on Wednesday evening, as it approaches the Louisiana coastline with winds up to 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane and could see some additional strengthening before making landfall in the next six to eight hours.

If Laura reaches 157 mph or greater, it will be a Category 5 hurricane. A Category 5 hurricane has never hit the coast of Louisiana. 

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CNN Weather

Tropical storm-force-winds are beginning to push onshore in southern Louisiana and extreme southeastern Texas.

Heavy rainfall will also be beginning in coastal cities within the next couple of hours as conditions begin to rapidly deteriorate.

Landfall is still anticipated between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. ET. 

Here's the latest timeline for conditions in some key locations:

Beaumont and Port Arthur 

Lake Charles, Louisiana 

Galveston 

Houston

The city of Austin is offering shelter for evacuees from coastal communities due to Hurricane Laura.

The city has provided more than 1,078 hotel rooms for the over 3,000 evacuees coming from the coast, Mayor Steve Adler said in a news conference.

The city is also working to open a shelter at the convention center that will include Covid-19 precautions, such as social distancing, masks and personal protective equipment.

Austin is also working to secure additional hotel space, as the convention center can only shelter approximately 135 people to stay consistent to public health recommendations. 

Judge Lina Hidalgo Pool

Harris County, Texas, Judge Lina Hidalgo signed a disaster declaration for the county today and warned that Hurricane Laura could cause “significant damage.”

“We still do anticipate tropical storm winds in our county,” Hidalgo said, “which would cause significant damage – the possibility of downed trees, power lines, unsafe road conditions.”

She urged residents to “stay home and get off the roads no later than 8pm tonight.” Hidalgo also said now is the time to complete any last-minute preparations, such as clearing debris, bringing pets inside, and stocking up on supplies like food, water, flashlights, batteries, and fuel.

Hidalgo said the Harris County disaster declaration will “help us have additional flexibility to respond and recover.”