Hurricane Laura hits Louisiana, bringing 240km/h winds and threat of flooding
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Port Arthur, Texas — Hurricane Laura made landfall early on Thursday in southwestern Louisiana as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state, with forecasters warning it could push a massive wall of water 64km inland from the sea.
Laura made landfall packing winds of 240km/h in the small town of Cameron, Louisiana, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.
The area in the direct path of Laura is home to about 4-million people, but officials said most had left for safer areas under evacuation orders. Sheriffs, police officers and other authorities said it would be several hours before they could safely venture out to begin search and rescue operations.
Hurricane-strength winds could blow as far as 320km inland to Shreveport, Louisiana, forecasters said.
The oil-refining town of Port Arthur was just west of where Laura made landfall. The city of 54,000 was a ghost town late Wednesday, with just a couple of petrol stations and a liquor store open for business.
“People need their vodka,” said Janaka Balasooriya, a cashier, who said he lived a few blocks away and would ride out the storm at home.
The area where Laura made landfall is marshy and particularly vulnerable to the storm surge of ocean water.
“This is one of the strongest storms to impact that section of coastline,” said David Roth, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. “We worry about that storm surge going so far inland there because it’s basically all marshland north to Interstate 10. There is little to stop the water.”
Just hours before Laura smashed into the coast, Port Arthur resident Eric Daw hustled to fill up his car at one of the few petrol stations still open.
He said he had wanted to evacuate earlier but lacked money for petrol as he was waiting on a disability payment. Daw was headed to a shelter in San Antonio, a four-and-a-half-hour drive, where instead of worrying about the storm he has to contend with Covid-19, echoing concerns of many others.
“They say we are all supposed to socially distance now,” he said. “But how am I supposed to socially distance in a shelter?”
‘Wall of water’
About 620,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders in Louisiana and Texas.
The storm surge could penetrate inland from between Freeport, Texas, and the mouth of the Mississippi River, and could raise water levels as high as 6m in ...
Laura made landfall packing winds of 240km/h in the small town of Cameron, Louisiana, the National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.
The area in the direct path of Laura is home to about 4-million people, but officials said most had left for safer areas under evacuation orders. Sheriffs, police officers and other authorities said it would be several hours before they could safely venture out to begin search and rescue operations.
Hurricane-strength winds could blow as far as 320km inland to Shreveport, Louisiana, forecasters said.
The oil-refining town of Port Arthur was just west of where Laura made landfall. The city of 54,000 was a ghost town late Wednesday, with just a couple of petrol stations and a liquor store open for business.
“People need their vodka,” said Janaka Balasooriya, a cashier, who said he lived a few blocks away and would ride out the storm at home.
The area where Laura made landfall is marshy and particularly vulnerable to the storm surge of ocean water.
“This is one of the strongest storms to impact that section of coastline,” said David Roth, a forecaster with the National Weather Service. “We worry about that storm surge going so far inland there because it’s basically all marshland north to Interstate 10. There is little to stop the water.”
Just hours before Laura smashed into the coast, Port Arthur resident Eric Daw hustled to fill up his car at one of the few petrol stations still open.
He said he had wanted to evacuate earlier but lacked money for petrol as he was waiting on a disability payment. Daw was headed to a shelter in San Antonio, a four-and-a-half-hour drive, where instead of worrying about the storm he has to contend with Covid-19, echoing concerns of many others.
“They say we are all supposed to socially distance now,” he said. “But how am I supposed to socially distance in a shelter?”
‘Wall of water’
About 620,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders in Louisiana and Texas.
The storm surge could penetrate inland from between Freeport, Texas, and the mouth of the Mississippi River, and could raise water levels as high as 6m in ...