Gov. Edwards: Louisiana escaped worst possible damage, but threat continues in wake of Hurricane Laura

BATON ROUGE, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Louisiana escaped the worst of the damage feared from Hurricane Laura after it made landfall early Thursday morning as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, but Gov. John Bel Edwards says four lives so far have been lost and more fatalities are possible.

“It is clear that we did not sustain and suffer the absolute catastrophic damage that we thought was likely based on the forecast we had last night, but we have sustained a tremendous amount of damage,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said of Hurricane Laura as it was downgraded to a Tropical Storm early Thursday afternoon, nearly 12 hours after making landfall.

“We have thousands and thousands of fellow citizens whose lives are upside down because their businesses and/or their homes have been damaged. And we have lots of challenges to say the least with a variety of things, whether it’s electrical power, water service, you name it, and so we have a lot of work to do. But we are in better shape today than might have been the case. And so we have a lot to be thankful for, as well.”

Laura made landfall just after 1 a.m. Thursday, slamming into in Cameron and on to Lake Charles with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour.

“This was the most powerful storm to ever make landfall in Louisiana,” Edwards noted, “and it is still a powerful storm that is in the state of Louisiana that is continuing to cause damage and life threatening conditions, including futher loss of electricity.”

In fact, Hurricane Laura is the strongest storm to hit the U.S. this year and joined the ranks of the top ten storms on record to make landfall with winds over 150 miles per hour.

Edwards said the massive, ten to twenty-foot storm surge predicted for coastal Louisiana did not come to pass because the track of the storm shifted slightly east so that the eye of the storm never crossed over the Calcasieu Ship Channel, a waterway that connects the city of Lake Charles with the Gulf of Mexico. That meant the powerful southerly winds never pushed the water up over the channel, which could have caused catastrophic flooding.

Still, communities along the Gulf Coast experienced high water levels in the wake of the powerful storm and water continues to rise in portions of Vermilion Parish and southwest Iberia Parish as remnants of the storm churn in the region. Flooding, rainfall and damaging winds spread inland over central and northern Louisiana.

“The entire state saw tropical storm-force winds, that’s how big this storm was,” said Edwards.

On Thursday afternoon, Edwards confirmed a fourth death resulting from the storm, noting that none were in extreme Southeast Louisiana and that all four were killed by falling trees, “which is in line with a major wind event.” The deaths were in Vernon, Jackson, and Acadia parishes. He said more fatalities are expected as search and rescue and recovery operations continue.

“Now is not the time to go sightseeing,” Edwards said, urging Louisiana residents to take caution as crews assess high-water, debris and downed power lines around the western/central portion of the state. 

More than 700,000 people in Louisiana and Texas were without power Thursday afternoon, according to the website PowerOutage.Us, which tracks utility reports.

Interstate 10 in Lake Charles remains closed as crews assess heavy storm damage including a casino that came loose and got stuck under the Calcasieu River Bridge. By early Thursday afternoon, the Department of Transportation had conducted an inspection of the bridge by drone and a closer, in-person inspection was in the works to determine whether it could safely be reopened.

Shawn Wilson, Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, encouraged drivers to check la511.org for storm-related road closures.  

A major chemical fire in the Westlake/Moss Bluff area also forced nearby residents to shelter in place after a chemical reaction caused a fire and the release of chlorine gas into the air.  Edwards asked residents in the area to remain patient inside their homes with the air conditioning off while state and local first responders assessed the situation and monitored for air quality. As of the governor’s briefing, there were no reports of anyone suffering symptoms from exposure to the caustic chemical.

The governor said he was expecting to join other state and local officials