Laura grows to a Category 4 hurricane

Forecasters say Hurricane Laura could bring an “unsurvivable” 20-foot storm surge when it makes landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday along the Gulf Coast. The storm’s strength grew by nearly 70 percent over 24 hours to an “extremely dangerous” Category 4, according to the National Hurricane Center.

How are authorities preparing? More than half a million people are under evacuation orders near the Texas-Louisiana state line. Officials have warned the storm surge could completely cover towns in the low-lying Calcasieu and Cameron parishes in southwestern Louisiana. In Lake Charles, La., National Guardsmen drove school buses to pick up neighborhood residents. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state deployed 400 buses, 38 aircraft, 82 boats, 202 trucks, and 60 ambulances in preparation for the storm. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt said the state’s emergency management department was sending search-and-rescue teams to Louisiana to help with storm response.

Dig deeper: Follow the latest updates at the National Hurricane Center’s website.