Gov. Abbott: Texas dodged a bullet from Hurricane Laura

Hurricane Laura quickly made its way out of Texas Thursday leaving behind far less damage in the state than originally predicted.

ORANGE, Texas - Hurricane Laura quickly made its way out of Texas Thursday leaving behind far less damage in the state than originally predicted.

Gov. Greg Abbott met with lawmakers and local leaders in Orange, Texas Thursday morning for an aerial tour of the region. It's the most heavily damaged part of the state.

“As we flew around the region at about 1,000 feet, we could see the way that the storm impacted different areas differently. And I’ll be candid with you. Of all the areas that we saw, the worst that we saw was Orange,” he said.

The governor described seeing rooftops ripped off, shingles missing, trees down, pieces of steel framing wrapped around trees and even some roads still underwater.

More than 160,000 people in Texas were left without power.

“Obviously as people get closer and look at buildings and homes, there will be additional damages that people will have to deal with. That said, as I ask everybody how they feel about working their way through this hurricane, everyone pretty much had the same phrase and that is we dodged a bullet. It could have been far worse,” Abbott said.

Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane. But the storm surge that was expected to be about 10 feet in Texas ended up being only about 3 feet tall.

There were no reports of any deaths in Texas, which the governor called a “miracle.”

“When you consider the magnitude and the damage that could have occurred here, we did dodge a bullet,” Abbott said.

But for those homeowners and business owners that are dealing with damage, both Gov. Abbott and President Donald Trump have declared disaster declarations in 62 counties.

Search and rescue, law enforcement, National Guard, volunteer and assessment teams are now focusing on the recovery efforts, clearing out tree damage and making sure it’s safe for everyone who evacuated to return home.

Texas is also prepared to offer resources and support to the people in Louisiana who fared much worse.

“I know the people of Louisiana are dealing with challenges themselves right now and Texas and Texans stand ready to help our neighbors in Louisiana,” Abbott said.

Around 8,500 people received shelter. Some of them were in hotel rooms in North Texas.

“One thing that saved lives were evacuation orders by officials,” Abbott said.

The state partnered with hotels to provide shelter to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Officials did credit government leadership for the smooth response.

“One of the realities in Texas when it comes to hurricanes is this was not our first rodeo,” said Senator Ted Cruz.

Gov. Abbott said everyone who sheltered in a large congregant setting will have access to a COVID-19 test.