NHC warns of 'unsurvivable' storm surge from Hurricane Laura

The National Hurricane Center is warning that there are just a few hours left to prepare for Hurricane Laura as it heads toward Louisiana and Texas and is projected to make landfall as a major Category 4 storm.

The NHC issued a dire new warning about Hurricane Laura on Wednesday, saying that "unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage" from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, adding that the surge of up to 20 feet may "penetrate up to 30 miles inland." Over half a million people around the state line have been told to evacuate, The Associated Press reports.

"Only a few hours remain to protect life and property and all actions should be rushed to completion," the NHC said on Wednesday.

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Nearly "half of all deaths from tropical cyclones come from storm surge," CNN notes. Laura is forecast to hit Louisiana and Texas as a "catastrophic" Category 4 hurricane on late Wednesday or early Thursday, with the National Weather Service warning that "most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months."

Based on the latest forecasts released on Wednesday, meteorologist Eric Holthaus wrote that on the U.S. Gulf Coast, Laura has become "one of the biggest hurricane threats in recorded history." Brendan Morrow