Hurricane Laura has strengthened into a monstrous Category 4 storm as it menaces Louisiana and Texas with an “unsurvivable” storm surge.
Laura grew to Category 4 strength on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center, which said that it was packing vicious 140 mph sustained winds as it moves northwest toward the United States Gulf Coast at 16 mph. As of 1 p.m., the hurricane was about 200 miles south-southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The “extremely dangerous” storm is forecast to make landfall near the border of Texas and Louisiana late Wednesday or early Thursday morning as a Category 4 hurricane before heading north. It is expected to later track east and exit the continental U.S. somewhere near the mid-Atlantic region.
Much of the area expected to be affected is under a storm surge warning, which “means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline in the indicated locations … This is a life-threatening situation,” the NHC said.
“Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes,” the NHC said in a bulletin, adding that the surge could penetrate as far as 30 miles inland.
The ferocious hurricane has caused officials in Texas and Louisiana to put more than half a million people under evacuation orders. In Texas, more than 385,000 people have been ordered to leave Beaumont, Galveston, and Port Arthur. In Louisiana, at least 200,000 residents are under mandatory evacuation orders, according to CBS News.
“If you decide to stay, you’re staying on your own,” warned Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie.
“In my five years as governor, I don’t think I’ve ever had a press conference where I’m trying to convey the sense of urgency I’m trying to convey right now,” said Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards at a Wednesday briefing.
The problems with Laura are compounded by the coronavirus pandemic. Texas has had nearly 614,000 infections and more than 12,000 deaths, while Louisiana has had some 144,000 confirmed cases and nearly 4,800 deaths since the health crisis began.
The National Hurricane Center has forecasted “unsurvivable storm surge” from Hurricane #Laura in parts of Louisiana and Texas. Do NOT underestimate this storm.
This is what that kind of water height looks like: pic.twitter.com/ik7EtpFTzn
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) August 26, 2020
BREAKING: Laura is now a Category 4 hurricane with sustained 140 mph winds in the eyewall.
It continues its alarming rapid intensification. Here in Winnie, Texas, the first squall line has moved through, with worse conditions on the way. https://t.co/VieTdXmSkz pic.twitter.com/ZTej11dX7x
— Matthew Cappucci (@MatthewCappucci) August 26, 2020
HOLLY BEACH, LA storm surge already showing itself well ahead of CAT4 Hurricane Laura @RadarOmega_WX pic.twitter.com/ZDoUmbX4Qc
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) August 26, 2020
