The city is currently under mandatory evacuation in anticipation of Hurricane Laura. Credit: REUTERS/Adrees LatifThe mayor of Galveston called for a mandatory evacuation of the city Tuesday morning after Tropical Storm Laura strengthened into a hurricane and its path shifted westward, increasing the chances that it could strike the Houston area. Voluntary evacuation orders are in place for Chambers County, Galveston County and the City of Seabrook. Laura is bearing down as the coronavirus pandemic remains a major concern in Texas, especially in cities like Houston. Laura could become the second significant storm to impact Texas during the 2020 hurricane season.

(AP) – Padre Island National Seashore will reopen Thursday to the public as repairs continue to damage from last month's Hurricane Hanna, officials said Wednesday. Most parts of the national park will reopen at 6 a.m. Thursday, according to a statement from park rangers. The public will have access to the North and South beaches, the Bird Island Basin day-use area and boat ramp, as well as Malaquite beach. Developed campgrounds at Malaquite and Bird Island Basin are still closed, but primitive camping will be allowed on North and South beaches. Overnight parking will resume at the Bird Island Basin boat ramp, but the dock there is being rebuilt and will remain closed.

Greg Abbott and state health officials, claiming Texas leaders overstepped their bounds when they awarded a major contract for tracking Texas coronavirus outbreak to a little-known technology firm. For months, lawmakers have criticized the $295 million deal with Frisco-based MTX Group, arguing it was inked too quickly, without an opportunity for the Legislature to properly vet it. Under state emergency laws, triggered by a March 13 disaster declaration from Abbott, state officials have broader authority than usual to make policy decisions. But in this case, the lawsuit argues, officials went too far and failed to ensure proper competitive bidding as required by law. That cant be right.Several of the lawmakers suing the governor are members of the Texas House Freedom Caucus.

In terms of wind measured in kilometers/hr Hanna missed Cat 2 by just 4km/hr coming in at 150km/hr! After all, Hurricane Ike (2008) topped out at 110mph winds but had a storm surge that ran as high as 21! Okay, so what was the pressure of Hurricane Hanna? At one time, the Hurricane Center considered barometric pressure as a criteria for Category and a Cat 2 pressure measured between 965-979millibars. Hurricane Ike absolutely should have been classified a Cat 3 hurricane (because it was according to its pressure of 953mb and storm surge of 14-21).

Officials in South Texas had to tailor hurricane emergency response plans to life in a pandemic. Having enough face masks, sanitizers, gloves and other personal protective equipment is key to preparing for storms during the coronavirus pandemic, Mission Mayor Armando OCaa said. Emergency shelters have been tweaked to abide by health guidelines, and some of those shelters will wind up being hotels. The state emergency responders have provided face masks, sanitizers and temperature checks for evacuees at shelter sites in order to prevent transmission of the coronavirus, Christensen said. Make sure youve got your shelter situation ironed out and the messaging about your shelter situation is clear, Pagan said.

Also, sign up for The Brief, our daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. The damage comes at the start of what is projected to be an active hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. Engineering experts who reviewed photos of the jagged cracks caused by the weekends storms said the damage reinforces what many have long said: Building and maintaining a border fence so close to the river poses serious challenges. Flooding and erosion concerns are some of the main reasons why the government has not built a border fence directly on the banks of the river. We said it was too close to the water, erosion would be an issue, the location made no sense, Patrick said.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas Gov. Greg Abbot visited Corpus Christi on Tuesday to survey the damage left by Hurricane Hanna, which made landfall over the weekend. During his visit, Abbot met with local officials and gave a news conference addressing the state’s response to the storm. “Just because a hurricane has swept through here, does not mean that it has swept out COVID-19,” Abbott said. “If you let down your guard, it will lead to an increase of COVID-19,” Abbott said.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas During a news conference in Corpus Christi to discuss how officials are responding to Hurricane Hanna, Texas Gov. We have a duty to ensure we do not lose a generation of students because of this pandemic, Abbott said. Being able to give students the best education is going to require flexibility, which is why the Texas Education Agency has provided districts across the state with the ability to choose when the school year begins and whether it begins online or in the classroom, Abbott said. There are so many different factors that differ from one school to another, Abbott said. We will do whatever is necessary to achieve that goal, whether it be when school begins after four weeks, after eight weeks or after 10 weeks.You can watch the full news conference below:

From the Pacific to Texas to the far Caribbean, the tropics showed up as the Weekend Headline! Clearly, the most devastating was ours, Hurricane Hanna, taking a clear shot on South Texas, battering boats, toppling trees and flooding roads and homes. Look at the rain amounts on Doppler radar out of Brownsville from Friday evening to this morning, most of which came on Saturday. This looks like a Jackson Pollock masterpiece:10-15" of rain Saturday and SundayThe purple images indicate 10-12″ of rain with the white at 15″ of rain! Hanna rainsAnd the winds rocked to 90 mph creating a 4-6′ storm surge across Baffin Bay and Corpus Christi.

The Garcia's home was flooded by Hurricane Hanna as it passed through the area dropping heavy rains which caused flooding. Its remnants still threatened to bring rainfall and flash flooding to waterlogged parts of South Texas and Northern Mexico. Border communities hit by Hanna were already strained by COVID-19 cases — with some patients being airlifted to larger cities. By Monday evening, 50,600 customers remained without power throughout South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Harlingen and McAllen, utility officials said. Officials throughout South Texas were still assessing damage from Hanna on Monday.

Padre Island's Bob Hall Pier was closed after portions of the structure collapsed from damage due to Hurricane Hanna. Courtney Sacco/Caller-Times via REUTERSTwo days after Hurricane Hanna touched down in South Texas, thousands remained without power and communities were grappling with how to deal with the damage caused by flooding and strong winds. Hanna unleashed more than 15 inches of rain in parts of South Texas, resulting in serious flash flooding, according to The Washington Post. As of 1 p.m. Monday, American Electric Power Texas, one of the state's largest electric providers, reported more than 58,000 power outages in Corpus Christi, Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. Boat owners survey the damage at Harbor Del Sol Marina the morning after Hurricane Hanna in Corpus Christi.

Greg Abbott announced Sunday that the Federal Emergency Declaration in response to Hurricane Hanna has been approved. The authorization from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Trump administration provides emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance and reimbursement mass care, including evacuation and shelter support at 75 percent federal funding. Hanna intensified to a Category 1 hurricane early Saturday morning, becoming the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. “I thank President Trump and our partners at FEMA for their quick response in granting this Federal Emergency Declaration,” said Abbott. “We will continue to work with our federal and local partners as we assess the damage from Hurricane Hanna and may seek additional federal assistance as we continue to respond, recover, and rebuild our communities.

Hurricane Hanna created problems for Texans in places like Port Mansfield, South Padre Island and Corpus Christi, as strong winds and heavy rain hit those areas. Here is footage from one of our stringers, Max Olson, as it caused damage in Port Mansfield. #HurricaneHanna #txwx pic.twitter.com/eAh7vTc7mm — Stephen Jones (@Tornado_Steejo) July 25, 2020Still ripping in the SW eye wall of Hurricane Hanna over Port Mansfield Texas. #Hurricane Hanna# pic.twitter.com/JrU8pLMJAn — WitchyWitch (@road2liberty) July 26, 2020Prayers for the folks in Port Aransas. #HurricaneHanna pic.twitter.com/yUrP4lZqrW — Travis M. Smith (@Travis5mith) July 25, 2020South Padre IslandPadre Island, Texas a few minutes ago as Hurricane Hanna approaches.

Parts of South Texas woke up on Sunday to damaged buildings and flooded streets after Hurricane Hanna made landfall as a Category 1 storm the day before. Hanna arrived with 90 mph winds on the Texas Coast late Saturday afternoon near Port Mansfield. Some areas could see 6 to 12 inches of rain through Sunday night, though some isolated areas may get up to 18 inches of rain in total. Here’s what it looked along the Texas coast on Sunday morning:The view this morning around Corpus Christi from the aquarium/north shore area to the art center. pic.twitter.com/rT05iY5WOJ — Rusty McCranie (@RMcCranieWFTV) July 26, 2020

HOUSTON – KPRC 2 reporter Michael Lopardi gives a closer look at the conditions from Hurricane Hanna in Corpus Christi. Hanna is the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, making landfall twice as a Category 1 storm on Saturday afternoon. The first landfall happened at around 5 p.m. about 15 miles north of Port Mansfield, about 130 miles south of Corpus Christi. As of Saturday night, those winds had weakened to 75 mph. For extensive coverage of Hurricane Hanna, visit here.

Chris Headen battles with his umbrellas as Hurricane Hanna begins to make landfall, Saturday, July 25, 2020, in Corpus Christi, Texas. Some areas in South Texas had already reported receiving up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain, including Cameron County, which borders Mexico and where Brownsville is located. First responders in Corpus Christi proactively placed barricades near intersections to have them ready to go if streets began to flood, Mayor Joe McComb said. More than 43,700 people throughout South Texas, including Corpus Christi, Harlingen and Brownsville, were without power Saturday evening, according to AEP Texas. Other counties and cities throughout South Texas had also opened shelters, with many requiring face masks.

Hanna made landfall on the the southern Texas coast as a Category 1 hurricane Saturday evening. Hanna is the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane seasonBefore making landfall on the south Texas coast Saturday evening, Hanna intensified to a Category 1 hurricane, becoming the first hurricane of the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 32 Texas countiesSaturday, as Hurricane Hanna nears the southern Texas coast. Hanna is the first hurricane to hit the states southern Texas coast since HarveyHanna is the first hurricane to hit the southern Texas coast since Hurricane Harvey swept through the area in August 2017. Hanna is the first hurricane to hit Texas during the month of July since 2008Hanna is the first hurricane to hit Texas during the month of July since Hurricane Dolly in 2008.

If you have a 4” diameter gauge like this one and rain water has overflowed into the outer cylinder, I have a handy formula to approximate the total. HIGH WATER ALERT: Wallisville road at Rio Villa. Let us know if you are experiencing high water in your neighborhood. pic.twitter.com/hgeK37p9RH — Galveston Ferry (@GalvestonFerry) July 25, 2020In Matagorda County, water made its way onto FM 457 and Sargent Beach. We definitely dodged a bullet with #Hanna moving south pic.twitter.com/YiNJRkLHFt — Dustin Helton (@TheRevSFA) July 25, 2020What the clouds looked like this morning in Galveston County.

You can see what it looks like along the Texas coast through a variety of beach and city cams as Hurricane Hanna makes landfall. Here are live cameras from Corpus Christi, South Padre Island and Port Aransas:Corpus ChristiHere is the link to see the cams for Corpus Christi beaches, including Whitecap Beach and North Padre Sea Wall. Here is the link to see the North Padre Sea Wall cam. South Padre IslandHere is the link to see the cams for South Padre Island beaches, including north and south beaches. Here is the link to see the South Padre Island Beach cam.

Harris County Public Health announced it had shuttered all its Houston area COVID-19 testing sites Saturday due to severe weather cause by Hurricane Hanna. UPDATE : All of our test sites are closing for the day due to severe weather. Please stay connected with us for any updates or visit https://t.co/6HoCBXNCbF pic.twitter.com/XVfFeV2JLD Harris County Public Health #SocialDistance (@hcphtx) July 25, 2020As Hurricane Hanna approaches the Texas coast, rain is expected throughout the Houston area. Click here for more information on the City of Houston COVID-19 testing sites.

As Hurricane Hanna closes in on the southern portion of the Texas coast, bringing strong winds, rain and National Weather Service warnings of a life-threatening storm surge, Gov. Greg Abbott will discuss the state's preparedness. Watch live at 3 p.m. Central Time, courtesy of Austin's KXAN-TV.