• UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
NewsExplored
  • UK
  • World
    • USA
  • Entertainment
    • Celeb
    • Showbiz
    • Magazine
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Gaming
  • Tech
  • Science
    • Education
  • Insurance
  • Business
  • Auto
  • ToS/Contact
    • ToS
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • LinkedIn

  • Tumblr

  • RSS

USA

Hurricane Laura causes flash flooding as it makes landfall in Louisiana

Hurricane Laura causes flash flooding as it makes landfall in Louisiana
Newsexplored
27th August 2020
6
SHARES
ShareTweet
SubscribeRedditGoogleWhatsappStumbleuponPinterestDiggLinkedinTumblrTelegram
Views:
3
A car near Vermilion Bay is seen partially submerged in waters brought by Hurricane Laura approaching Abbeville, Louisiana, 26 August 2020Image copyright Reuters
Image caption Parts of Louisiana have already seen flooding

Hurricane Laura has struck the coast of Louisiana, with extreme winds causing flash flooding in the US state, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) says.

The category four hurricane is expected to cause an “unsurvivable” storm surge as it moves inland with wind speeds of up to 150mph (240km/h).

If it maintains those speeds it would be one of the strongest storms to ever hit the US Gulf Coast.

Half a million residents have been told to leave parts of Texas and Louisiana.

Hurricane Laura made landfall shortly after midnight local time (05:00 GMT) near the district of Cameron, in Louisiana.

The NHC warned any residents remaining in or near the path of the “catastrophic” storm to “take action now to protect your life… in a reinforced interior room away from windows”.

“Get under a table or other piece of sturdy furniture,” the NHC said, adding: “Use mattresses, blankets or pillows to cover your head and body.”

Almost 270,000 homes in Louisiana reportedly lost power in the early hours on Thursday, according to the US tracking site PowerOutage. In Texas, more than 65,000 homes suffered power cuts.

Television footage showed heavy rain and strong winds lashing the coastal city of Lake Charles in south-west Louisiana.

Laura and another storm, Marco, earlier swept across the Caribbean, killing 24 people. Marco struck Louisiana on Monday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.

Initially it was feared that both storms would hit Louisiana as hurricanes within 48 hours of each other – an unprecedented event – but Marco was downgraded to a tropical storm.

data-ad-format="auto">

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Media captionHurricane Laura approaches Texas

Laura, on the other hand, has strengthened rapidly from category three to category four, gaining 70% in power in just 24 hours.

It is now close to becoming a category five storm, which would mean maximum sustained winds of 158mph (254km/h).


Hurricane Katrina – which devastated New Orleans in 2005, killing more than 1,800 people – was a category five storm before weakening to a category three when it made landfall in the US. Broken levees led to disastrous flooding in the city of New Orleans, which sits some 6ft (2m) below sea level, making it particularly vulnerable to storms.

  • Hurricanes: A guide to the world’s deadliest storms
  • Warming makes bigger hurricanes more damaging

US President Donald Trump told those potentially affected by the storm to “listen to local officials” as the storm was “very dangerous and rapidly intensifying”.

Evacuations are complicated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Texas Governor Greg Abbott urged families who could afford it to take refuge in hotels and motels to be distanced from others.

What can we expect from Hurricane Laura?

On Wednesday, the NHC said satellite images had shown that Laura had undergone a remarkable intensification to become a “formidable hurricane”.

In a series of tweets, it said Laura was expected to bring “life-threatening hazards” to parts of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Well-built homes could incur major damage, trees could be snapped or uprooted and electricity and water would be unavailable for days or even weeks, it said.

“Hurricane force winds and widespread damaging wind gusts will also spread well inland into portions of eastern Texas and western Louisiana early Thursday,” the NHC added.

Skip Twitter post by @NHC_Atlantic

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. This surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline. #Laura pic.twitter.com/bV4jzT3Chd

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 26, 2020

End of Twitter post by @NHC_Atlantic

Storm surges of more than 20ft (6m) are possible. In an update at 14:00 local time, the NHC reported 3.2ft of inundation already on parts of the Louisiana coast.

“To think that there would be a wall of water over two storeys high coming on shore is very difficult for most to conceive, but that is what is going to happen,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott.

“The word ‘unsurvivable’ is not one that we like to use, and it’s one that I’ve never used before,” he added.

Governor Abbott urged people in the path of the storm to “take advantage of these final few hours to evacuate”.

“The power of Hurricane Laura is unprecedented, and Texans must take action now to get out of harm’s way and protect themselves,” he said.

Image copyright EPA
Image caption Businesses in Louisiana boarded up windows as Hurricane Laura approached

More than 420,000 Texas residents have been ordered to leave, while an additional 200,000 were told to evacuate Calcasieu Parish in south-western Louisiana.

Port Arthur, Texas, is home to the nation’s largest oil refinery, and workers have been taken off at least 310 offshore facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, reducing oil production by 84% for a second day in a row, officials said.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Share on Skype (Opens in new window)

Related

Related Itemscausesflashfloodinghurricanelandfalllauramakes
USA
27th August 2020
Newsexplored @newsexploredweb

Related Itemscausesflashfloodinghurricanelandfalllauramakes

More in USA

  • Read More
    Joe Biden: The team he hopes can fix the US economy

    Views:3 By Natalie ShermanBusiness reporter, New York image copyrightReuters President Joe Biden has vowed to heal America’s...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Biden kicks off inclusive LGBT agenda

    Views:3 By Shrai PopatBBC News image copyrightGetty Images image captionPro-LGBT Biden supporters in West Hollywood celebrate his...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    White House pets: Cats, dogs and raccoons through the years

    Views:3 It hasn’t always been dogs and cats in the White House – here are a few...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-26 Green Bay Packers; Buffalo Bills 24-38 Kansas City Chiefs

    Views:3 Brady stars as Tampa Bay Buccaneers reach Super Bowl Watch the NFL Show every Saturday night...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    The homeless drug addict who became a history professor

    Views:3 By Sarah McDermottBBC World Service image captionJesse Thistle, wearing a beaded thistle around his neck Jesse...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Kamala Harris: What the vice-president did on her first day

    Views:3 By Holly HonderichBBC News, Washington image copyrightAFP via Getty Images image captionKamala Harris spent her first...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Biden inauguration: New president to be sworn in amid Trump snub

    Views:3 image copyrightAFP image captionJoe Biden and his wife Jill attended a church service ahead of the...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Biden inauguration: Democrat to be sworn in as Trump leaves office

    Views:3 image copyrightGetty Images image captionSecurity is tight around the US Capitol where the inauguration ceremony will...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Biden inauguration rehearsal paused amid US Capitol lockdown

    Views:3 image copyrightEPA image captionSecurity is tight in Washington DC The Capitol complex in Washington DC was...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Migrant caravan: Guatemala blocks thousands bound for US

    Views:3 media captionWATCH: Security forces block the migrants’ path, beating them back with truncheons and tear gas...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Trump impeachment: When will he go on trial in the Senate?

    Views:3 image copyrightWhite House via Twitter image captionPresident Trump returned to Twitter to post the address Donald...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
  • Read More
    Joe Biden unveils $1.9tn US economic relief package

    Views:3 media captionBiden: ‘I promise we will not forget you’ President-elect Joe Biden has unveiled a $1.9tn...

    Newsexplored 27th August 2020
Scroll for more
Tap
data-ad-format="auto">
NewsExplored

NewsExplored - Making sure all the latest news is explored?

Contact us for help

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • Comments

  • Australian Open: Heather Watson among 47 players to quarantine in Melbourne after Covid cases on flights
    Sports16th January 2021
  • The Papers: ‘Fortress Britain’ and ‘modern miracle workers’
    UK15th January 2021
  • Fashion lookahead: Eight major 2021 looks from tie-dye to pastels
    Entertainment30th December 2020
  • Fifa 21 and Frozen 2 top digital sales of 2020
    Tech8th January 2021
  • Joe Biden: The team he hopes can fix the US economy
    USA27th January 2021
  • Biden kicks off inclusive LGBT agenda
    USA26th January 2021
  • White House pets: Cats, dogs and raccoons through the years
    USA26th January 2021
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-26 Green Bay Packers; Buffalo Bills 24-38 Kansas City Chiefs
    USA25th January 2021
  • Les Rehrer says:

    Hello Its me :P and thanks for this post

  • optumrx login says:

    Thank For News.

  • Kent Laatsch says:

    Please let me know if you're looking for a writer…

  • Bob says:

    RT News was where I learned that Erdogan controlled isis.…

Copyright © 2018 Top News Theme. Theme by MVP Themes, powered by Wordpress.

RNC 2020: Pence warns Americans ‘won’t be safe’ if Biden wins
Major US sports join walkout over Blake shooting
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok