Governor Edwards warns Hurricane Laura is projected to bring devastation not seen in southwest Louisiana since Hurricane Audrey in 1957.
Laura is now a category four hurricane that Edwards says is likely to create two-story-high storm surge.
“We are talking about unsurvivable storm surge in Cameron Parish and really that is the designation that is being given from the Texas line over to Intercostal City in Vermillion Parish,” says Edwards.
Flood projections show nearly all of Cameron Parish will be underwater.
180 miles of roads are expected to flood in Cameron Parish alone, and Edwards warns I-10 is likely to be overtopped in many areas in the southwest. He also warns many structures will be flattened.
“Our state has not seen a storm surge like this in many, many decades. We have not seen wind speeds like this in a very, very long time,” says Edwards.
The Louisiana National Guard has been fully mobilized for the first time since Hurricane Isaac in 2012.
Edwards says the window of time to evacuate is closing rapidly and will likely shut sometime this afternoon. By then if you’re still in the storm’s path, do not leave your house once it makes landfall because trying to escape in the dark will be extremely dangerous.
“The worst thing that you can do is when that storm really starts beating at your door at one or two o’clock in the morning is to decide, well, I’m going to leave now,” says Edwards.
Projections show sustained winds over 100 miles per hour will extend far inland, and low lying areas even above the I-10 will be in danger of flooding.
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