By about noon on Friday the outer bands of Hurricane Harvey’s rains were being felt around Lake Charles, Louisiana.

On Thursday afternoon, Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for Louisiana.

“All arms of the state’s emergency preparedness and response apparatus are planning for the serious posed by Hurricane Harvey, and we are calling on all Louisianans throughout the state to do so as well,” Edwards said. “I will continue to direct all of the necessary resources to preparing for the worst as we all pray for the best, but rest assured, state and local officials are working around the clock to monitor and respond to this potentially dangerous situation.”

At that time Hurricane Harvey was expected to make landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, with winds of at least 111 mph, somewhere southwest of Corpus Christi, Texas. And the storm surge was predicted to be up to 16 feet. Forecasters called it a “life-threatening storm.”

On Friday, the storm surge was extended to Morgan City on the Louisiana coast, but only a one to three feet surge was forecast for this state.

Forecasters are still baffled by the fact that Harvey’s eventual path currently remains unknown. The hurricane is expected to make landfall in Texas and stall there for days before maybe making its way back into the Gulf of Mexico, and turning towards Louisiana.

Hurricane Harvey will likely be the strongest storm to hit Texas in at least 47 years. And as the state that took the brunt of Hurricane Katrina in an August 12 years ago, it’s a good bet that the people of Louisiana do not want Harvey to come their way.