Hundreds of thousands flee US coast ahead of Hurricane Laura

Evacuees walk to board buses Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The evacuees are being taken to Austin, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston SPCA staff members Linnea Wood, foreground, and Calista Stover carry pets from the Galveston Island Humane Society, onto a Wings of Rescue plane headed to Dallas/Fort Worth Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Houston, as Hurricane Laura threatens the Texas coast. (Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Workers board up windows at the Galvez Hotel & Spa Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

CORRECTS SPELLING OF FIRST NAME TO ELISABETH INSTEAD OF ELIZABETH - Elisabeth Pelham waits to board a bus to evacuate, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The evacuees are being taken to Austin, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Miguel Andrade Jr. carries plywood to board up the windows at Rudy and Paco Restaurant and Bar in downtown Galveston, Tuesday, Aug 25, 2020. Local businesses continued to make preparations for Hurricane Laura's arrival along the gulf coast. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)

A United State Postal Service Employee covers a mailbox with plastic wrap after removing the last mail from it as the island prepares for possible impact from Hurricane Laura, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston. The plastic wrap signals that the final mail has been cleared from the box and prevents people from placing more mail inside in case of flooding. (Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)

People wait in front of the Galveston Housing Authority offices to board charter busses that will evacuate them from Galveston Island to Austin in anticipation of impact from Hurricane Laura, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston. ( Mark Mulligan/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Miguel Andrade secures a strap over a giant crab atop Gaido's Seafood Restaurant, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. The crab has been on display since 1960. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards talks about the expected impact of Hurricane Laura, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Melinda Deslatte)

CORRECTS SPELLING OF FIRST NAME TO ELISABETH INSTEAD OF ELIZABETH - Evacuees, from right to left, Tommie McNeil, Elisabeth Pelham, Nota Norris, and a woman who did not want to be identified, wait to board a bus as they evacuate, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The evacuees are being taken to Austin, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Issac Alvarado boards up windows of coastal decor store Bayside Chic, Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Southwest Louisiana residents wait for buses at Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, La. to be evacuated to a shelter in Alexandria, La., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (Rick Hickman/American Press via AP)

Gov. Greg Abbott talks about Hurricane Laura at the alternate State Operations Center at the Doubletree Hotel in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday August 25, 2020. (Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

Tiara Walker holds her dog, Buece, as she waits with her family to board a bus to evacuate Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The evacuees are being taken to Austin, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Municipal workers fill sandbags for residents in advance of Hurricane Laura in Abbeville, La., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Evacuees walk to board buses Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Galveston, Texas. The evacuees are being taken to Austin, Texas, as Hurricane Laura heads toward the Gulf Coast. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Osman Antunez cuts plywood to cover the windows at Stonewater, Inc. Disaster Relief on Post Office Street in downtown Galveston Tuesday, Aug 25, 2020. Local businesses continued to make preparations for Hurricane Laura's arrival along the gulf coast. (Stuart Villanueva/The Galveston County Daily News via AP)

Municipal workers fill sandbags for the elderly and those with disabilities ahead of Hurricane Laura in Crowley, La., Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)