This story is being updated continuously.
With winds of up to 150 mph, Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, La., around 1 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The strongest hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico since Hurricane Katrina, Laura’s wind speeds were just 7 mph away from becoming a Category 5 hurricane.
In a midnight update, the hurricane center warned that Laura could produce an “unsurvivable storm surge” up to 15 feet, ‘catastrophic wind damage,’ and dump 8 to 12 inches of rain over Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana — possibly 18 inches in some isolated areas.
“Get under a table or other piece of sturdy furniture. Use mattresses, blankets or pillows to cover your head and body. Remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions,” the center warned.
Laura’s eyewall was moving onshore just after midnight, indicating the most intense part of the hurricane had arrived.
“This is a life-threatening situation,” said Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist with the hurricane center. “Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area tonight and Thursday morning, with catastrophic wind damage expected where Laura’s eyewall moves onshore.”
Pasch warned that Laura’s storm surge could reach as far as 40 miles inland from the coastline and that it could take several days for that water to recede after the storm clears.
In addition to severe flooding, Laura’s storm surge along with strong waves could even damage buildings, said Ken Graham, director of the National Hurricane Center.
“That’s how powerful the storm surge is,” Graham said wearing a blue surgical mask in a video update.
As Laura approached the coastline, the hurricane was already creating problems on land.
Wind gusts up to 101 mph were reported in Cameron, La., according to the hurricane center.
In an update on social media Wednesday evening, the Port Arthur Police Department said that for their own safety, once winds reached tropical storm force in Port Arthur, the city’s first responders would not respond to calls until conditions improved.
In Louisiana’s Vermilion Parish, the sheriff’s office warned that rescue efforts would not begin until it was safe to do so.
“If you choose to stay and we can’t get to you, write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a ziplock bag in your pocket,” the sheriff’s office said in statement.
On the Bolivar Peninsula, water had already reached roads near the beach because of the storm surge and large waves, according to the National Weather Service in Houston.
In downtown Galveston, water was slowly beginning to seep from storm drains, according to reports from the Galveston County Daily News.
As the storm neared, the weather service also issued tornado watches and warnings for portions of southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana.
“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the weather service
cautioned in an update. “Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/6NYOOABFSCHS3HCA7KZDMOUSMA.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment