Laura will land as a category 4 hurricane: hundreds of thousands of people evacuated

Hurricane Laura continues to intensify. As of Wednesday morning, August 26, it is moving over the central Gulf of Mexico. This is the first major hurricane of 2020 and could have enormous consequences. Writes about it Orlando Sentinel.

Photo: Shutterstock

Laura, which escalated into a Category 2 hurricane overnight, is forecast to cause a life-threatening storm surge, high winds and flash floods in east Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday evening, Aug. 26, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

“Laura is forecast to become a Category 4 hurricane today and is expected to become a major hurricane at landfall. Once Laura makes landfall, rapid weakening is expected, the National Hurricane Center said.

Screenshot: nhc

Meanwhile, the storm, formerly known as Tropical Storm Marco, disintegrated on Tuesday morning, Aug. 25, and turned into a residual low before the center of the hurricane stopped tracking it.

As of 05:00 August 26, Laura was a strong Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds of 110 mph (177 km/h), moving northwest at 15 mph (24 km/h), and was approximately 315 miles (506 km) southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Hurricane force winds extend out to 70 miles (112 km) and tropical storm force winds extend out to 175 miles (281 km).

Evacuation of residents

More than 385 residents have been evacuated from the Texas cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur, and more residents have been ordered to evacuate from lowlands in southwest Louisiana, where weather forecasters say more than 000 feet (13 m) of storm surge could flood entire cities.

Laura is expected to have little impact on Florida.

Hurricane #Laura is expected to bring 9+ feet of storm surge to parts of #Louisiana and #Texas... If you're told to evacuate, you need to do so before it's too late. #HurricaneLaura pic.twitter.com/OoFcSeRWY9

- CStore News. Noticias de CStore (@CStoreNews_) August 25

Freeport and San Luis Pass (TX) also received storm surge warnings. Storm surge warning operates from the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs, Mississippi, as well as Pontchartrain, Morepas and Bourne.

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Forecasters said flooding could occur over 450 miles (724 km) of coastline from Texas to the Mississippi. On top of that, some parts of Louisiana can receive up to 15 inches (38 cm) of rain, said National Weather Service meteorologist Donald Jones.

Houston, Texas, has asked residents to prepare supplies in case they are left without electricity for several days or have to evacuate their homes on the coast. Some residents of the area are still recovering from the devastating Hurricane Harvey three years ago.

#Laura Waking up this AM to strong wind, pelting rain and ... #tropicalstorm surfing birds. St maarten pic.twitter.com/5bno2fQQg6

- Crush2525 (@ Crush255) August 22

Emergencies have been declared in Louisiana and Mississippi. Shelters for evacuees were opened.

The American Red Cross has deployed 700 workers and humanitarian aid, writes CNN.

“We urge people along the Gulf Coast to prepare now; heed the advice of local authorities and evacuate immediately if asked,” said Greta Gustafson of the Red Cross.

Large and extremely dangerous hurricane

According to Hennen, Laura's intensity is likely to fluctuate throughout Wednesday.

“Now that Laura's eye is forming, there is no doubt that this will be a large and extremely dangerous hurricane for East Texas and Louisiana,” Eric Blake, senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, wrote on Twitter.

Another view of the dramatic shelf cloud associated with a rain band from #Laura and #Marco's remnants rolling into @CityofGulfport. #mswx #tropics @WLOX @NWSNewOrleans @spann pic.twitter.com/0o6puJrMIq

- Eric Jeansonne (@Weatheric) August 26

The most serious storm threats are storm surge, precipitation and hurricane force.

Rainfall can cause large-scale flooding as well as overflow of small streams, Blake said, causing minor to moderate flooding in the river.

3 years after Harvey and 15 years after Katrina

Laura showed up just days before August 29, the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed about 1800 people in 2005. And on September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita hit southwest Louisiana as a Category 3 hurricane.

Houston is the largest city in the region. It is particularly vulnerable to floods and Laura can hit it hard. The concrete-filled city has notoriously poor drainage and is prone to flooding.

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Now southwest Louisiana is facing the threat of a violent hurricane again.

“Rita and I were unlucky in 2005,” said ex-mayor Sulfur. “When something like this happens, I think when people come back, it brings back a lot of bad memories.”

Devastating flooding in the Dominican Republic ??

tropical storm #Laura making large impact.pic.twitter.com/dtAnwAl2X7

- Scott From Scotland (@ScottDuncanWX) August 23

Jeremy Burke of Waveland, Mississippi, a coastal city devastated by Hurricane Katrina in 2015, says "the biggest threat here is storm surge." When Katrina hit, “the wind did the damage, but the surge was the nail in the coffin,” Burke said.

Many of Waveland's residents stayed home until Laura made landfall, Burke said, but their cars and trucks are fueled with gas in case the outlook gets more dire.

Deaths in the Caribbean

Laura also hit Cuba, killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola, including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where the hurricane caused a power outage and severe flooding. It is reported that among the dead was a 10-year-old girl whose house was knocked down by a tree, a mother and a small child were crushed by a collapsed wall.

The President of the Dominican Republic, Luis Abinader, said that a corporal was killed during rescue operations in the province of Pedernales.

Read also on ForumDaily:

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'Extremely Active': Meteorologists Release New Hurricane Season Forecast

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