Hurricane Approaching... Some US Residents Ignore Evacuation Orders Due to COVID-19 Concerns

Transport Aircraft Dispatched to Port Arthur, Texas Returns Empty
Residents Remain at Home Amid COVID-19 Transmission Concerns

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Despite Hurricane Laura, which has grown into a super typhoon, approaching the Gulf of Mexico in the southern United States, some residents are reportedly refusing to evacuate to shelters designated by authorities due to concerns over the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In Texas, a transport plane dispatched under a mandatory evacuation order reportedly returned without any passengers on board.

According to the New York Times (NYT) on the 26th (local time), Texas authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order for the city of Port Arthur, located along Hurricane Laura's projected path, and dispatched two C-130 transport planes to evacuate residents. However, the planes returned without any passengers on board. In Louisiana, some residents are also reportedly staying at home, ignoring evacuation orders due to fears of COVID-19 infection.

Authorities in Texas and Louisiana continue to urge evacuation. Texas Governor Greg Abbott repeatedly emphasized, "Your property can be restored, but life cannot," and urged, "The power of Laura is unprecedented, and you must evacuate quickly." Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards also appealed, "Evacuation must be completed before the hurricane's impact zone is reached." Texas has provided 200,000 hotel rooms and temporary accommodations such as convention centers for residents who evacuated, while Louisiana has deployed the National Guard to coastal cities to transport residents to shelters, according to the NYT. Approximately 500,000 residents from the two states are reported to have evacuated.

The U.S. oil industry is also expected to suffer significant damage. Port Arthur, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana, located along Laura's projected path, are known as the largest refining hubs in the United States. With 80% of the refining facilities in these two locations closed due to typhoon concerns, daily refining production of 2.2 million barrels has been halted. Offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico have also shut down more than 84%, stopping daily crude oil production of 1.6 million barrels. According to Bloomberg, direct damage and economic losses caused by Laura are estimated to exceed $25 billion, with damage to oil facilities alone expected to reach $5 billion.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.