Hurricane Laura dropped to Category 3 early Thursday after making landfall as a Category 4 in southwest Louisiana, near the Texas border, around 2 a.m. EDT. It brings with it storm surges that are expertly defined as "impossible to survive" and winds that can cause "catastrophic damage."
The point at which Laura made landfall is near Cameron, Louisiana. The hurricane now has maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour), after reaching category 5 (starting at 157 miles per hour).
The National Hurricane Center said early Thursday that the cyclone is now moving northward and continues to hit portions of Louisiana with "catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flooding." Videos on social media show strong winds and rain slamming into a tall building in Lake Charles, Louisiana, smashing windows and throwing glass and debris into the air and onto the ground.
The authorities had implored in the preceding hours the inhabitants of the most affected area, on the coasts of Louisiana and Texas, to seek refuge in safer places. More than half a million people received evacuation orders. However, not all did, according to The Associated Press news agency.
Meteorologists warned that the winds that are approaching that area can destroy buildings, uproot trees and throw vehicles like toys. Expected storm surges could reach 20 feet (six meters) high. The possibility of tornadoes is also anticipated.
"It looks like it's in total beast mode, which is not what you'd want to see when you're on its way," Laura Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, said of the story. More than 100,000 customers were affected by power outages in Louisiana and Texas early Thursday, according to information collected by NBC News, Telemundo's sister network.
Homeland Security Secretary Alex Azar has issued an emergency declaration for Louisiana and Texas as Laura draws closer.
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Aug. 26, 202002: 23In Lake Charles, some people who were not evacuated are asking for help. "People are calling but there is no way to reach them," Tony Guillory, chairman of the Calcasieu parish police jury, told AP by phone. takes refuge in a city government building. Guillory hopes the stranded people can be rescued later this Thursday, but roads are blocked and flooded, making access difficult.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said the state is closing Interstate 10, from around the Atchafalaya Bridge outside Lafayette to part of Texas, because several stretches within that area are expected to flood.
Some of the people who decided to leave their homes to take refuge on Wednesday found themselves without a place to stay, according to the AP. Texas authorities avoided opening massive shelters due to fears that coronavirus infections could occur, as the pandemic still raises much concern in the area.
The evacuees were then assigned to hotels, but several found themselves without a place in Austin and on the outskirts of Dallas. KXAN, a local NBC affiliate, reported Wednesday afternoon that Austin authorities planned to open a congress center as a refuge for people in need.
The National Hurricane Center predicts Laura's eye will move over northwestern Louisiana on Thursday, across Arkansas at night and over the central Mississippi Valley on Friday.
With information from NBC News, AP, KXAN.