AUSTIN, Texas — Cars full of people evacuating from the coast headed to Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in hopes of getting a hotel voucher to shelter from Hurricane Laura.
Officials said the City had to start turning people away around midnight. They were able to reopen again and had been open for some of Wednesday morning, however, gates began closing again around 5:30 a.m. as they ran out of space.
As of 10 a.m. on Wednesday, COTA reopened as a rest stop for evacuees. Many decided to wait to find out if more rooms would become available for shelter.
"I’m just asking everybody to pray for us," said Christopher Chargois, who evacuated from a town right on the Texas-Louisiana border. "And I pray for everybody else going through this storm. It’s bad. Please believe these people and get away."
Chargois said he and the six cars full of people he was traveling with were going to wait at COTA to see if any more vouchers would become available.
"My whole family is with us, and my mother is on oxygen, and we're going through it," said Chargois.
His cousin, Yolanda Roberts, waited inside the car at COTA. She said they evacuated Tuesday morning.
"We knew we were going to have to leave," she said. "We didn't leave for Harvey, so we didn't want it to be another having to be rescued on boats and all that. So we left early."
Both Roberts and Chargois said they were trying to stay positive during a stressful time.
"The people that have heeded the advice and said, 'Hey, it’s an evacuation situation,' and got out first. They’re the ones that understand that there’s a process and that they get out," said Rick Abbott, the COO of COTA. "They’re not panicked about it. They understand that people are here to help out. One thing about the state of Texas is these guys stick together, and I love that about Texas."
Those who waited at COTA also had access to drinks, snacks and bathrooms while they figured out the next steps.
Mayor Steve Adler said in a press conference on Wednesday that resources are stretched thin and suggested people hoping for a hotel room head toward Dallas.
The City also announced on Wednesday a portion of the convention center would be turned into a shelter for evacuees. It will have 135 spaces and is expected to open either Wednesday night or Thursday morning.
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