Hurricane Laura hit the Louisiana coast early Thursday morning in one of the worst storms to hit the state.
Laura reached shore — in a marshy and particularly vulnerable to storm surge — around 1am and was classified as a Category 4 hurricane.
“This is one of the strongest storms on this stretch of the coastline. Said David Roth, National Weather Service forecaster. «We are concerned that the storm surge is spreading so far, risking mostly affecting the swamps north of Interstate 10. There is little that can stop the water.»
About 620 thousand people were subject to mandatory evacuation in Louisiana and Texas.
The storm surge could penetrate inland between Freeport, Texas and the Mississippi estuary, and risk raising water levels up to 20 feet (6 meters) in parts of Cameron County, Louisiana, NHC said.
1 am. Almost here … It's about to GET REAL. #Hurricane #LAURA in Sulfur #Louisiana pic.twitter.com/ilJnshYkBV
— Josh Morgerman (@iCyclone) August 27, 2020
“It is very difficult for most people to imagine that a wall of water more than two stories high would splash onto the shore, but that is exactly what will happen,” Benjamin Schott, NWS meteorologist, told a news conference.
Most of the Cameron parish in Louisiana will be underwater at some point, Schott said.
Forecasters warn that Laura will trigger a tornado on Thursday over Louisiana: far in southeast Texas and southwest Mississippi. These regions are expected to receive 127 to 254 mm of precipitation, NHC reports. Large-scale flooding is likely to be expected from east Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas.
Videos on social media show high winds and rain hitting a tall building in Lake Charles, Louisiana, shattering windows, shattering windows and throwing debris into the air.
🌪🚨 LAURA MAKES LANDFALL: The storm arrived near Cameron, Louisiana as a high Category 4 storm. The winds have been gnarly — reports up to 150 mph. It's moving very fast.
📹: Here's some video from storm chasers: The Storm Warnin1, Reed Timmer, Brandon Clement. pic.twitter.com/wbCphDaUsf
— John-Carlos Estrada (@Mr_JCE) August 27, 2020
Other footage from the area shows road signs curving, trees shaking, and a large car literally flying by, lifted by a gust of wind.
Severe hurricanes like Harvey and Katrina have previously wreaked havoc on oil refineries on the Gulf Coast. There are concerns that Laura might do the same.
BREAkING! Buildings gutted in Lake Charles LA in powerful eye wall of #HurricaneLaura @RadarOmega_WX @ChasinSpin pic.twitter.com/wP3fPyREIZ
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) August 27, 2020
In 2017, when Harvey struck Houston, there were oil and chemical spills, as well as severe air pollution from petrochemical and oil refineries.
Environmentalists are concerned that more than 60 refineries and petrochemical plants are caught in a Category 4 hurricane.
