The National Hurricane Center upgraded the storm to Category 4 Friday, with sustained winds of 130 miles an hour. It swept ashore about 9:45 p.m. between Port Aransas and Port O’Connor, just northeast of Corpus Christi.
President Trump signed a disaster proclamation, allocating federal funds for state and local relief efforts.
According to the New York Times, Gov. Greg Abbott warned at a news conference that the storm was shaping up to be “more dangerous” than previous hurricanes because of the potential for widespread flooding that could leave Texas in the storm’s grip for at least “a week if not longer.There are fears that it may be worse than Hurricane Katrina, which left more than 1,800 people dead in 2005.
Gov. Greg Abbott warned of record-setting flooding and called on people to flee the area before the storm hits.
"My top goal is to be able to make it through this storm in a way in which we lose no lives," Abbott said. "Put your life first and your property second."
The combination of wind and water could leave wide swaths of South Texas "uninhabitable for weeks or months," the National Weather Service in Houston said.
The threat has prompted officials in at least one town to ask residents who stay behind to write their Social Security numbers on one of their arms in case. It will make identifying bodies easier.
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