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Hurricane Laura weakened from a Category 4 to a Category 2 after making landfall, but is still delivering destructive 110 mph winds, as well as storm surges officials say are ‘unsurvivable’ which could reach 30 miles inland.
Early Thursday, Hurricane Laura made landfall with 150 mph winds, becoming the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana in 164 years, NBC reported, and is now tied for the most intense on record in the state.
Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Cameron, Louisiana storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. Landfall occurred roughly 30 miles southwest of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and about 40 miles east of Port Arthur Texas, CNN reported.
As of 5 AM local time in Louisiana, Hurricane Laura had weakened, downgrading to a Category 2, but was still delivering winds of 110 miles per hour.
Laura was expected to weaken to a tropical storm later in the day as it moves into Arkansas.
As of Thursday morning nearly half a million people were without electricity. Over 437,000 residents in Louisiana and over 110,000 in Texas were without power, according to PowerOutage.US.
Storm Surges remain a threat to life. Officials say the surges could reach up to 30 miles inland in parts of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas, reaching all the way to Interstate 10 potentially, between Beaumont and Lake Charles.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is warning that the storm surge could be “unsurvivable” in some areas.
Officials are still urging residents in these areas to leave, but some are still refusing in choosing to stay despite the life-threatening conditions.
The Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office urged residents to “please evacuate” in a statement, and offered grim advice to those who would not heed the warnings.
The sheriff told those who chose to ignore the evacuation orders and remain, to put their name, Social Security number and next of kin in a plastic Ziploc bag in a pocket for later identification, CNN reported.
The Sheriff’s office added in the statement: “Praying that it does not come to this.”
Some people who did not heed evacuation orders in a southwestern parish of Louisiana are now using their cellphones calling for help, NBC reports.
“People are calling the building but there ain’t no way to get to them,” Tony Guillory, president of Calcasieu Parish’s police jury told an Associated Press reporter over the phone.
Guillory told the AP that he hoped those stranded could be rescued later on Thursday, but blocked roads, downed power lines and flooding due to the storm was complicating the process.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a number of warnings related to Hurricane Laura for Thursday.
Hurricane warning: northern Louisiana and eastern Texas.
Flash flood warning: southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.
Flash flood watch: eastern Texas; northern Louisiana; southern and northern Mississippi; southwest Oklahoma; Arkansas; western Tennessee; southeastern Missouri; southern Illinois; southern Indiana; western Kentucky.
