The latest update regarding Hurricane Laura is that landfall of the storm is predicted to be 2 to 5 AM Eastern Time going towards the Gulf Coast near the border of Texas and Louisiana. The sheriff says those who will not evacuate will have to face grave danger.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Laura is forecast to become a stronger Category 4 hurricane having wind speeds of 130 mph. It is going towards the Gulf Coast accompanied by an "un-survivable" storm surge in particular areas.
A woman puts sandbags on a cart as residents fill sandbags at St. Raymond Church, provided by Mayor LaToya Cantrell and the local government, as Hurricane Laura warnings have been issued for part of Louisiana and Texas, in New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., August 25, 2020. REUTERS/Kathleen Flynn
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The NHC further elaborated that an un-survivable storm surge together with destructive, large waves will catastrophically damage areas within Sea Rim State Park in Texas to Louisiana's Intracoastal City, which include Sabine and Calcasieu Lakes. Furthermore, it advises that the surge may penetrate 30 miles maximum inland from the coastline. All actions must be made quickly, and life & property must be protected right away, with only mere hours remaining before landfall.
The NHC also forecast that certain parts of west Louisiana and east Texas will experience damage from "catastrophic winds," especially those areas that will be hit by the eyewall as landfall occurs on the early morning of Thursday.
Residents in the affected locations are advised to conduct immediate evacuation and to brace themselves for wind gusts that will cause "widespread damage" and spread inland in certain parts.
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8:37 PM Update
The sheriff of Vermilion Parish in Louisiana warned people who will not evacuate before Laura's arrival that rescuers will not and cannot begin to commence operations until the passing of the rains and after the surge has already gone and it becomes safe to go out.
The warning was posted on social media. The sheriff further instructed people again to evacuate. Should they stay and rescuers cannot get to them, the sheriff advised that they write their name, their address, their social security number and their next of kin or relative and place the information in a watertight zip lock in their pockets. The sheriff says they are praying that the matter will not have to come to such a situation.
In the Bayou State, it is expected that Cameron Parish and Vermilion Parish, which are on the Gulf Coast and in the state's southwest corner, will experience the worst of Laura.
Mandatory Evacuations
Police already ordered mandatory evacuations in many areas of the two parishes. A curfew was also ordered starting from 9 PM local time up to 5 AM as hurricane Laura started landfall early this Thursday morning.
As of 7:45 PM last night, the storm continued a northward path at a speed of 15 mph. At about this time, Laura was 130 miles south from Louisiana's Lake Charles, with the same distance south-to-southeast from Texas' Port Arthur, and continued to push toward the direction of the Gulf Coast.
At this time, sustained winds were recorded at a speed of 145 mph with Laura approaching the Louisiana and Texas Gulf Coast. The trajectory of Hurricane Laura was recorded to be heading northwest at a speed of 15 mph on the way to make the storm landfall on the early morning of Thursday.
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