Texas hospitals and Hurricane Harvey: 8 things to know Friday

Alyssa Rege -

Several Texas hospitals have begun evacuating patients in preparation of Hurricane Harvey, the first category 3 hurricane to strike the U.S. in almost 12 years.

Here are eight things to know about the storm's developments.

1. Weather experts predict Hurricane Harvey will strike costal cities in Texas and Louisiana Friday night or Saturday morning, The Weather Channel reports.

2. Weather experts issued a hurricane warning for several costal cities in Texas, including Corpus Christi, indicating hurricane conditions will likely occur within 12 to 24 hours. Other cities, including Houston and Galveston, received tropical storm warnings, according to The Weather Channel.

3. The storm will be the first category 3 or stronger hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Wilma struck south Florida in October 2005, the Weather Channel reports.

4. According to experts at the Weather Channel, the last category 3 hurricane to strike the Texas coast was Hurricane Celia in August 1970. The storm damaged 90 percent of businesses in Corpus Christi and 70 percent of the city's residences and airport. 

5. Corpus Christi-based Driscoll Children's Hospital evacuated all 10 babies in its neonatal intensive care unit Thursday night.

6. Driscoll Children's also closed three of its clinics in Coastal Bend, Texas, effective Friday, according to KZTV/Action-10 News.

7. Corpus Christi-based Christus Spohn Health System closed Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial and its emergency department, effective Thursday. Other Christus Spohn hospitals in the region remain open. The health system also closed a number of its primary care services locations. For updates regarding Christus Spohn facilities, click here.

8. Corpus Christi Medical Center suspended services at select satellite and hospital emergency centers, effective Thursday.

Editor's note: This is not an exhaustive list. Hospital closure information will be updated as more information becomes available.

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