Updated: August 28, 2020 10:08:24 pm
Before Laura struck, local governments and residents took the right steps and got out of the woods for the most part, said a veteran New Orleans disaster expert. (Bill Feig / The Advocate via AP, Pool)
Latest updates from Hurricane Laura: A day after Hurricane Laura hit the coast and ripped through Louisiana, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake, the catastrophic ‘Category 4’ storm weakened into a tropical depression on Friday. So far, the hurricane, one of the most powerful storms in American history, has claimed at least six lives and left homes and buildings in ruins, CNN reported.
According to the US State Department of Health, the death toll from the hurricane includes a 14-year-old girl and a 68-year-old man, who were crushed under fallen trees. The six victims were from different parts of Louisiana, including the parishes of Calcasieu, Acadia, Allen, Jackson and Vernon, a department spokesman told CNN.
Areas along the Louisiana-Texas border were hit hardest by the storm after it made landfall near a small Louisiana town called Cameron early Thursday morning. The city of Lake Charles, which has an estimated population of around 78,000 people, was one of the hardest hit by the hurricane.
Sustained winds of up to 150 mph, accompanied by heavy rain lashed the streets of Lake Charles overnight, ripping up power poles and trees and ripping off roofs from houses and buildings throughout the city. Many residents returned to their neighborhoods after the storm had subsided, only to find debris where their homes once stood.
Aerial views show damage from #HuracánLaura to a neighborhood on the outskirts of Lake Charles, Louisiana. The storm made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border early Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane with a maximum sustained wind speed of 150 mph. https://t.co/7ME8iTQVL7 pic.twitter.com/OmBAdTmtJI
– ABC News (@ABC) August 27, 2020
Here are the main updates from Hurricane Laura
Lake Charles chemical plant on fire after Hurricane Laura
A chemical plant in Lake Charles caught fire hours after Hurricane Lara made landfall on Thursday. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards urged residents of nearby areas to stay indoors with doors and windows closed to avoid inhaling toxic fumes released by the plant, Reuters reported.
A church shows the damage caused by Hurricane Laura, Thursday, in Lake Charles, Louisiana (Bill Feig / The Advocate via AP, Pool)
Photos shared on social media show a huge cloud of toxic fumes rising from the BioLab-owned chemical plant, which previously made a large number of chlorine-based products.
According to a Washington Post report, the fire was triggered when an indefinite amount of chlorine began to decompose during the storm, which in turn generated heat. Louisiana State Police Superintendent Kevin W. Reeves said a small BioLab team first tried to extinguish the fire, before calling state authorities for support.
Rescuers immediately rushed to the scene to douse the flames.
A chemical fire breaks out at a BioLab plant in Westlake in the wake of Hurricane Laura; Firefighters are on the scene to control the fire https://t.co/RDpH7qyOLr pic.twitter.com/xSq1lnHUPs
– Reuters (@Reuters) August 27, 2020
President Trump to visit Texas and Louisiana to assess storm damage
During a press conference Thursday, US President Donald Trump announced that he plans to travel to Texas and Louisiana this weekend to study the damage caused by Hurricane Laura. Trump also said he planned to postpone his speech at the Republican National Convention due to the hurricane, CNN reported.
“In fact, I was prepared to postpone the speech tonight and do it on Monday,” he said during a press conference at the national headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “I was going to Texas, I was going to Louisiana, maybe Arkansas.”
A girl walks toward her flooded home the day after Tropical Storm Laura struck in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AP Photo / Dieu Nalio Chery)
“But now it turned out that we were a bit lucky. It was very big, it was very powerful but it happened quickly. And so everything will go according to schedule, “he added.
Trump officially accepted the new Republican Party nomination at the 2020 RNC on Thursday and virtually addressed American voters from the South Lawn of the White House.
Buildings show damage from Hurricane Laura, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Cameron, Louisiana (Bill Feig / The Advocate via AP, Pool)
More than 875,000 people without electricity; water service in most of Lake Charles
Power outages were reported statewide in the wake of Hurricane Laura. More than 875,000 were without power after power lines broke and power poles were ripped off due to high winds and torrential rains, AP reported.
Meanwhile, in Lake Charles, most residents did not have running water, according to a CNN report. “We have some plants that are open, but it is not enough to serve the entire city. The pressure is in the single digits, “City Manager John Cardone told CNN.
Cardone said Water Spooky is expected to return to at least 45% capacity on Friday. Engineering consultants arrived in town yesterday to help repair the system.
Hurricane Laura – This January 25, 2020 satellite photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Grand Lake High School and nearby homes south of Lake Charles, Louisiana, prior to Hurricane Laura. (Satellite image © 2020 Maxar Technologies via AP)
Hurricane Laura caused less chaos than anticipated, state officials say
Despite Hurricane Laura killing six people and causing irreversible property damage across the state, Louisiana authorities breathed a sigh of relief Friday after the deadly storm caused less damage than anticipated.
“It is clear that we did not and did not suffer the absolute catastrophic damage that we thought was likely,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said, according to an AP report. “But we have suffered an enormous amount of damage.”
The governor said Laura was the strongest hurricane to ever hit the state of Louisiana. A full assessment of the losses suffered by the storm will take days to prepare, the AP reported.
Now is not the time to lower your guard. #Laura It has left dangers like flooded roads, downed power lines and displaced wildlife in our communities that no one should take lightly. Everyone must remain vigilant and safe. #lagov #HuracánLaura
– John Bel Edwards (@LouisianaGov) August 28, 2020
Controversial Louisiana Confederate statue toppled by hurricane
Months after city authorities rejected demands by Black Lives Matter protesters to remove a controversial Confederate monument from Lake Charles, the statue was toppled by fierce winds as Hurricane Laura swept through the state of Louisiana.
Local officials decided to keep the Monument to the Defenders of the South, which honors fallen Confederate soldiers, two weeks ago, despite protesters’ demands against racism. The statue was built outside the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse.
My dad sent me some photos of the Defenders of the South memorial in downtown Lake Charles after Laura and… I think some people may be happy with this. #HurricanLaura # HurricaneLaura2020 #Louisiana #lakecharleslouisiana #LakeCarlos pic.twitter.com/dzHd5dSwNH
– Andrew Beam #PrayForLakeCharles (@ dancemachine48) August 27, 2020
Search and rescue operations underway, says governor
Search and rescue teams were deployed to the state Thursday to evacuate people from vulnerable areas, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. Evacuees were taken to shelters such as motels and hotel rooms to escape the worst of the storm, according to a New York Times report.
Hurricane Laura: This aerial photo shows a fire at a chemical plant in Westlake, Louisiana, near Lake Charles, following Hurricane Laura on Thursday. (AP)
“Today is about saving lives, getting people out of their homes,” said Governor Edwards. He added that there was a high risk of escaping from a hurricane amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
The death toll could rise as rescue teams continue to clear debris in the coming days, authorities warned. Several US states, including New Jersey and Arizona, deployed search and rescue teams to assist Louisiana during the hurricane.
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