was shut down; this included the evacuation of 114 platforms. By August 25, 299 of 643 platforms and 27 of 28 mobile rigs were evacuated. Seven tornado watches were issued for this storm. They included the Coastal Waters as well as Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, and Kentucky. The staff at the NWS Lake Charles office also evacuated; warnings for their area being issued by NWS Brownsville. Three rare Extreme Wind Warnings were issued for Louisiana and Texas as Laura approached landfall. Puerto Rico Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez declared a state of emergency, and FEMA teams were ready to help with recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. Florida On August 21, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for southern counties in the state. A mobile hospital unit was pre-staged in Marion County and personal protection equipment kits were readied for distribution to shelters. A tropical storm watch was issued for the Florida Keys as the storm approached, although the north side of the area was dropped when Laura went farther south than expected. The rest were eventually upgraded to warnings. The mayor of Monroe County, Heather Carruthers declared a local state of emergency, and mandatory evacuations for mobile homes and boats, although visitors were allowed to stay. Texas Hurricane, tropical storm, and storm surge watches were issued for areas mainly near and east of Galveston on August 24. Most were upgraded to warnings the next day and a flash flood watch was also issued for the eastern portion of the state. On August 23, Texas Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency for 23 counties in eastern Texas. On August 25, mandatory evacuation orders were issued for low-lying areas of Chambers, Galveston and Jefferson counties, and for the entirety of Orange County. This included the entirety of the Bolivar Peninsula and cities of Galveston and Port Arthur. Galveston city officials advised residents that all city services would cease at noon on August 25 and upon the arrival of tropical storm-force winds, emergency services would be suspended. A total of 50 busses were used to assist in evacuations. A voluntary evacuation order was issued for coastal areas of Brazoria and Harris counties. An estimated 385,000 people were under evacuation orders in the state, including the entire city of Beaumont. Louisiana Hurricane, tropical storm, and storm surge watches were issued for almost the entire coastline on August