In the end, the Houston area got lucky. Louisiana did not.
Hurricane Laura made landfall after midnight as a Category 4 storm near Lake Charles, and has been downgraded to a Cat 2. David Zelinsky with the National Hurricane Center says Laura is still packing a punch.
"The winds are still quite strong. Storm surge is going to continue to be a big threat," he said.
Houston was spared from Laura's wrath. Galveston has experience some gusty winds, and some surge, but it was not what they had feared.
But rain and strong winds impacting Beaumont and Port Arthur. Orange County Judge John Gothia says many residents got the message to evacuate.
"Very little traffic on the road. That was good to see. I know there were some people that stayed. But the majority of our community left," Gothia told KTRH.
HERE is a list of all the schools closed in the Houston area.