Hurricane Laura’s fierce winds have left a trail of catastrophic damage. Jeff Palermo has the story…
Cut 1 (33) “…I’m Jeff Palermo”
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Governor Edwards says worst-case projections for Hurricane Laura did not come to pass, but the state still faces a long recovery…
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Hurricane Laura made landfall this morning as a Category Four storm, maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, at 1 AM in Cameron. Lake Charles took a direct hit as they had sustained winds of at least 100 miles per hour. Calcasieu Police Jury President Tony Guillory spoke with us as he surveyed the damage…
Guillory says he’s never seen or felt wind speeds that he experienced when Laura barreled through Lake Charles…
Guillory says he remembers Hurricane Rita in 2005, but the damage from this storm is worse
Cut 5 (05) “…structure damage. ”
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At least four fatalities have been reported in Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Laura. A 14-year-old girl in Leesville died when the fierce winds knocked a tree down on her home. Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft says hundreds of trees are down, so it took a while before his deputies could arrive at the scene
The eye of the storm went right over Vernon Parish. Craft believes it spawned a couple of tornadoes and they had wins of over 120-miles per hour…
Cut 7 (10) “…very, very limited”
The other reported fatality happened near Iota in Acadia Parish. Sheriff K-P Gibson says a 68-year-old man died when a tree fell on his home
Gibson doesn’t believe Acadia Parish suffered the type of damage seen in Calcasieu and Vernon, but it could take a while before power is restored…
The other fatality that’s been reported occurred in Jackson Parish. A man died when a tree fell on his home.
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Congressman Ralph Abraham is surveying areas of the state severely impacted by Hurricane Laura. Abraham says he started at daybreak in his vehicle at Lake Charles then drove north to Deridder and on to Alexandria.
Cut 10 (10) “…left untouched.”
While the storm surge was half of what was predicted, Abraham says the state however still suffered extreme damage from Hurricane Laura.
Governor Edwards tweeted this morning highly discouraging citizens from sightseeing damage caused by Laura at this time because the storm is still very active. While Congressman Abraham was in Alexandria a tree fell in front of his vehicle and took out several power lines.
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Residents of Westlake, Moss Bluff, and Sulphur in Calcasieu Parish are being instructed to stay inside due to a chemical fire at the BioLab plant. The fire has sent thick smoke into the air that contains poisonous chlorine. Trooper Derek Senegal says hazmat teams are on the scene tending to the situation.
Cut 12 (13) “…of it reigniting.”
Senegal says residents need to stay indoors with doors and windows closed and the AC off.
Cut 13 (09) “…as a precaution.”
According to the CDC, exposure to chlorine may cause burning pain, blurred vision, and difficulty breathing. The cause of the first is still being investigated.
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Governor Edwards says the state is lucky to have avoided the worst-case scenarios projected for Hurricane Laura. Up to 20 feet of storm surge was predicted. Edwards says at most we got 12, and the surge did not push into Lake Charles as expected. Despite this he says at least four lives have been lost, and…
The deaths have been reported in Vernon, Acadia, and Jackson Parishes, in each case it was a tree falling on a home.
The Governor says at least 600,000 Louisianans are without power and that number is expected to climb.
Laura registered 150 mile per hour winds as a near category five hurricane before making landfall.
Edwards says a record number of power crews and search and rescue first responders are scouring areas in the path of the storm. He asks you not to get in their way.
1,500 search and rescue workers are active in the state.