Alabama Power crews are preparing to assist communities in the path of Hurricane Laura, a massive and dangerous storm that was barreling Wednesday evening toward the Texas-Louisiana border.

About 350 Alabama Power team members from across the state, including line crews and support personnel, were packing Wednesday afternoon in preparation for traveling west to support utilities in Louisiana and Texas. The company also released contract crews to assist.

“We are fortunate to be able to provide resources to help others, considering the potential impact this very dangerous storm could have on a very large area,” said Kristie Barton, a general manager in the company’s Power Delivery organization.

As of early Wednesday evening, Laura had strengthened into a major, Category 4 hurricane, with the potential to strengthen even more, to Category 5 strength. Sustained winds from the storm had reached 150 mph with higher gusts. Landfall was expected sometime overnight Wednesday.

Tropical force winds were already being felt along the coast late Wednesday afternoon, with hurricane-force winds expected to penetrate well inland by early Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center warned that Laura’s storm surge posed “a danger of life-threatening inundation” from rising water moving inland from the coast. The “unsurvivable” storm surge was predicted to cause “catastrophic damage” along the southwestern Louisiana and southeast Texas shoreline and could penetrate as far as 40 miles inland.

Alabama Power crews recently assisted communities in New Jersey following Tropical Storm Isaias and towns in Illinois, including Chicago, affected by a damaging derecho wind event. The company provides resources to other investor-owned utilities, when they are not needed at home, under longstanding mutual assistance agreements.

Alabama Power customers should always be aware of the potential for severe weather and have their storm-readiness plans in place beforehand. Learn more about how to prepare at www.alabamapower.com. Click on “Our Company” and then “Outages & Storm Center.”