Mandatory evacuations were ordered for certain areas along the Texas coast as Hurricane Harvey approached.
Early Thursday afternoon those areas included San Patricio County, Port Aransas and Calhoun County.
What had been a tropical storm was reclassified as a hurricane Thursday when Harvey created sustained winds of 80 miles per hour.
The National Hurricane Center said Harvey could become a Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall late Friday or early Saturday.
Texans were filling sandbags, stocking up on water and boarding up windows ahead of Harvey, according to CNN.
The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services said on Twitter, “1.4 million Texans are in #Harvey’s path.”
Harvey was set to be the first hurricane to hit Texas since 2008 when Hurricane Ike killed 21 people.
