Hurricane Harvey intensified into a Category 4 storm as it churned toward what was certain to be a devastating landfall near this city by early Saturday morning.
The storm was on track to be the first major hurricane to hit the United States since Wilma in 2005. Forecasters and government officials warned of a full-blown natural disaster, with catastrophic flooding, ferocious winds up to 125 miles per hour and a storm surge that could reach 12 feet.
Soon after the outer bands of Harvey reached the South Texas coast, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) on Friday afternoon urged citizens to evacuate immediately low-lying and coastal areas. He sent a written request to President Trump asking him to declare a major disaster in Texas.
“The storm surge, coupled with the deluge of rain, could easily lead to billions of dollars of property damage and almost certainly loss of life,” Abbott wrote. “It is not hyperbole to say that if the forecast verifies, Texas is about to experience one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the state.”
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