Due to friction with the ground, wind speeds are lowest near the ground and increase with height. In tornadoes, the basement is best. If you don't have a basement, go to a bath or closet in the middle of the home on the lowest floor. In hurricanes, a basement is not as certain due to the possibility of flooding. It is probably better to shelter in the middle of the house and definitely away from windows. 

Hurricane Warning for the coastal area highlighted in red.  At 10am , Hurricane Laura  has 75 mph winds. The barometric pressure is 990 millibars. The National Hurricane Center's path forecast is now closer what I have outlined below. The "M" at 7pm Wednesday = "Major Hurricane." They are forecasting wind gusts to 140 mph. Those will cause serious structural damage. With regard to storm surge, they say, There is the danger of life-threatening storm surge accompanied by large and dangerous waves from San Luis Pass, Texas, to the Mouth of the Mississippi River, including areas inside the Port Arthur Hurricane Flood Protection System. A storm surge warning is in effect and residents should follow any advice given by local officials. Actions to protect life and property should be rush to completion today -- as water levels will begin to rise Wednesday.  Updated storm surge forecast map.  -- Original posting from 8:15am below. The informatio...

I have updated information on now Hurricane Laura at the top of the blog. -- original posting below -- I have reviewed the data and computer models available as of 11:55pm CDT. Laura is already strengthening faster than some of the models forecast to occur. That said, I believe what is outlined below adequately outlines the situation. I will update later this morning.  This was originally posted at 6:30pm Monday. I have updated it as of 8:30pm Monday. This is a comprehensive update on the hazards presented by now Tropical Storm Laura. It should become a hurricane late tonight or Tuesday morning. If you live in east Texas and Louisiana, please review it in its entirety. If you have friends or relatives in this area, please  make them aware of this update. Headlines: Hurricane Watch from Fort Morgan, Louisiana, to Port Bolivar, Texas. This includes Galveston-Beaumont (see below). If I lived in Harris or Galveston counties, I would consider hurricane f...

2:22pm Sunday We have, Hurricane Marco will cause scattered power failures and significant flooding.  Strengthing Tropical Storm Laura which, more and more, looks like it will be a major hurricane.  I believe it is headed for either Louisiana or the north half of the Texas coast.  With two hurricanes of concern, I urge you to consider... Here is a list of recommended safety precautions and procedures that factors in the situation with COVID-19: Make a hotel/motel reservation well inland. There is no point to getting on the road and finding everything already sold out. Be sure and cancel if you do not need the room. Make provisions for infirm friends/relatives well in advance.  Get prescriptions filled before you evacuate.  Put an app like AccuWeather's on your smartphone. It will keep track of your location and automatically provide the latest emergency warnings.  Your "Go-Kit" should include at least two masks per person, soap, han...