Hurricane Laura remains a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds at 145 mph moving northwest at 15 miles per hour. Governor Edwards warns that Laura is projected to bring devastation not seen in southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Audrey in 1957. Hurricane Laura is likely to create, two-story-high storm surge.
Congressman Garret Graves says unlike southeast Louisiana, southwest Louisiana does not have an extensive network of levees. Graves says southwest Louisiana has abundant wetlands which will allow the floodwaters to recede faster than they would in southeast Louisiana.
Both Cameron and Calcasieu Parishes are under mandatory evacuations and as hurricane Laura approaches the state, Joel Cline with the National Hurricane Center says Laura will produce catastrophic storm surge…
Entergy has crews from 20 different states prepped ahead of the storm to respond to power outages from Laura. CEO Phillip May says residents along the Texas – Louisiana border should not be the only ones prepping for extended outages, Laura’s projected path north after it makes landfall and storms that spin-off could cause issues for other parts for the state.
Most of the state south of I-20 is under a tornado watch until 9 pm tonight.