Texas braced for Hurricane Claudette

An invigorated Hurricane Claudette bore down on the Texas shore today, lashing the coast with heavy wind and rain and chasing some people to higher ground inland.

Minor flooding was reported in areas along the coast south of Houston, including Galveston and Brazoria, but no damage or injuries were reported. Wind gusted to 50 mph in Galveston.

A steady stream of pick-up trucks drove out of Port O’Connor, towing boats and packed with belongings as residents and tourists took the only road away from the Gulf of Mexico.

Claudette, upgraded from a tropical storm during the night, had maximum sustained wind blowing at 75 mph. Its 25-mile-diameter eye was tightening, with forecasters predicting some increase in wind speed before the centre reached shore during the afternoon or evening.

The storm, the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, was expected to make landfall in the area of Port O’Connor or Palacios, the National Hurricane Centre said.