Effects of Hurricane Laura in Louisiana

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Map key
Saffir–Simpson scale
  Tropical depression (≤38 mph, ≤62 km/h)
  Tropical storm (39–73 mph, 63–118 km/h)
  Category 1 (74–95 mph, 119–153 km/h)
  Category 2 (96–110 mph, 154–177 km/h)
  Category 3 (111–129 mph, 178–208 km/h)
  Category 4 (130–156 mph, 209–251 km/h)
  Category 5 (≥157 mph, ≥252 km/h)
  Unknown
Storm type
Disc Plain black.svg Tropical cyclone
Solid black.svg Subtropical cyclone
ArrowUp.svg Extratropical cyclone, remnant low, tropical disturbance, or monsoon depression

Laura originated from a large tropical wave that moved off the West African coast on August 16 and became a tropical depression on August 20. Laura intensified into a tropical storm a day later, becoming the earliest twelfth named storm on record in the North Atlantic basin, forming eight days earlier than 1995's Hurricane Luis. Laura first hit the Lesser Antilles and brushed Puerto Rico as a tropical storm, then moved across the island of Hispaniola. The storm then moved across the length of Cuba. Subsequently, the outer rainbands extended into the Florida Keys and South Florida. Laura then moved across the Gulf of Mexico, strengthening slowly at first, before a period of rapid intensification on August 26. That day, Laura became a major hurricane, and later attained peak 1-minute sustained winds of 150 mph (240 km/h), making it a Category 4 hurricane. Early on August 27, Laura made landfall near peak intensity on Cameron, Louisiana. This was the tenth-strongest U.S. hurricane landfall by windspeed on record. After landfall, Laura rapidly weakened as it moved inland, becoming a tropical storm later that day, and weakening further to a tropical depression over Arkansas the next day. On August 29, Laura degenerated into a remnant low over Kentucky, before being absorbed into another extratropical storm near the East Coast of the U.S. shortly afterward. [2]

Preparations

Hurricane Marco (left) and Tropical Storm Laura (right) on August 23. Both were threatening the Gulf Coast as hurricanes at the time, although Marco ultimately weakened. Laura and Marco 2020-08-23 1940Z.jpg
Hurricane Marco (left) and Tropical Storm Laura (right) on August 23. Both were threatening the Gulf Coast as hurricanes at the time, although Marco ultimately weakened.

The NHC first noted the possibility of Laura impacting the U.S. Gulf Coast on August 21, although they did not specifically mention Louisiana. [3] At first, the predictions were that it would hit the Gulf Coast as a minimal hurricane, although the NHC noted there was a distinct possibility that it could be much stronger. As the days went by, it became increasingly likely that Laura would make landfall near or in Louisiana as a strong hurricane. Additionally, Tropical Storm Marco entered the Gulf of Mexico and strengthened into a minimal hurricane, creating concerns that two hurricanes would impact the Gulf Coast just days apart, although Marco ultimately weakened to a minimal tropical storm by the time it got very close to the coast. [4] [5] Hurricane, tropical storm, and storm surge watches were issued for almost the entire coastline on August 24. This came just hours after the southeastern portion of the state had their tropical storm and storm surge warnings for Marco cancelled. Most of the watches were upgraded to warnings the next day and a flash flood watch was also issued for the western half of the state as over 10 inches (250 mm) of rain was expected. [2] As the threat of surge increased for the coastline, the NHC stated that there would be "unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves." [6] Three tornado watches were ultimately issued in all but the extreme northwestern part of the state. [7] [8] [9] As Laura neared landfall, rare Extreme Wind Warnings were issued for Louisiana and Texas. These wind warnings are only issued when winds of above 110 miles per hour (180 km/h) are imminent or occurring in the area. [10] [11] [12]

On August 21, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for 36 parishes due to the concurrent threat of Hurricanes Marco and Laura. [13] [14] Evacuations related to Marco were in place for Plaquemines Parish, Jefferson Parish, Grand Isle, and Port Fourchon. [14] [15] A mandatory evacuation for the entirety of Calcasieu Parish, approximately 200,000 people, was ordered on August 25. [16] [17] State-run shelters were opened with cots spread farther apart due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [16] Just hours before Laura made landfall on August 26, I-10 was shut down in both directions between the Louisiana/Texas border eastward to the Atchafalaya Basin. [18]

Impact

Numerous tornado warnings began to be issued throughout Louisiana as Laura approached the coast on August 26. [19] [20] An EF0 tornado touched down briefly Paincourtville, although no damage occurred. [21] Another tornado was reportedly spotted by a trained spotter in Bell City, but was never confirmed. [22] Coastal water rises began at around 19:00 UTC on August 26. [23] The first report of sustained tropical-storm force winds on land was at Cypremort Point, on Vermilion Bay, where 45 mph (72 km/h) winds were recorded. [24] Statewide, around 900,000 customers lost power due to the hurricane. [25]

Cameron Parish

Hurricane Laura made landfall in Cameron, Louisiana on 06:00 UTC on August 27, 2020 as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 150 miles per hour (240 km/h) and a pressure of 938 mb. [26] Widespread power outages were reported near the landfall point in Cameron. Near Cameron, a wind gust of 127 miles per hour (204 km/h) was recorded at Calcasieu Pass, which saw at least 9.19 feet (2.80 m) of storm surge. [27] [28] Holly Beach was extensively damaged as an RV was destroyed and several homes suffered roof damage. [29] Storm surge flooding also covered SH 82. [30] The town of Hackberry was severely damaged by storm surge flooding and two trains were derailed in Grand Lake, where the Grand Lake High School suffered damage. [31] [32] [33]

Lake Charles

A damaged house with no roof in Lake Charles HurricaneLauraAftermathLA-13.jpg
A damaged house with no roof in Lake Charles
Louisiana National Guard (50275099691).jpg
Louisiana National Guard (50274421028).jpg
Members of the Louisiana National Guard assessing storm damage in Lake Charles

Though all of Calcasieu Parish saw extensive impact from Hurricane Laura, it was most obvious in the parish seat of Lake Charles and its nearby 'satellite' communities, with widespread catastrophic-level damage to residential and commercial building roofs and structure, as well as half of all matured trees either blown down, badly stripped of branches, or 'broken over'. Double- and Triple-KVA (kilovolt-amp) power transmission towers and lines feeding power throughout the area were heavily damaged and/or destroyed. An RV was blown over and many mobile homes in parks were knocked off of their mounts, some rolled over, older ones stripped of their siding and gutted. The Lake Charles Regional Airport saw a wind gust of 128 miles per hour (206 km/h) as well as multiple hangars destroyed. [34] [35] [36] [37]

Another wind gust in the city reached 137 miles per hour (220 km/h). [38] Many windows were blown out of Capital One Tower in Downtown Lake Charles. [39] The tower stood empty afterwards for several years until it was demolished in 2024 [40] A communications tower collapsed onto the KPLC studio building (which had been evacuated ahead of the storm) and a portion of a skybridge was blown out. [41] [42] The radar at the NWS Lake Charles forecast office (which had its staff evacuate in advance of the storm, and the office's operations being transferred in the interim to the NWS office in Brownsville, Texas) was destroyed around the time of landfall, with its dome and much of its internal equipment sheared from the radar tower's base. [43] Farrar Hall at McNeese State University also suffered damage, and a Motel 6 building partially collapsed. [44] [45] A chlorine leak caused a large chemical fire on the west side of Lake Charles, [46] and several freight cars were derailed on the east side of the city. [47] A railroad crossing cantilever was also knocked down. [48]

Elsewhere

Intracoastal City saw a storm surge of 6 feet (1.8 m). [49] Storm surge also flooded over SH 317 at Burns Point in St. Mary Parish, and flash flooding surrounded homes in Abbeville. [50] [51]

Elsewhere, power flashes were seen in Sulphur, where a hotel was damaged. [52] [53] Extensive structural damage also occurred in Vinton, and a salon was destroyed in Westlake. [54] [55] Softwood trees were blown down in Fort Polk and the roof of a home collapsed in Alexandria after a tree fell on it. [56] [57] More than 70 trees fell in the Alexandria Zoological Park, damaging 20 animal habitats, including destroying the cougar enclosure; however, no animals were injured during the storm. [58] The NWS radar at Fort Polk also suffered a communication outage, causing it to go down. [59] A home in Carlyss had its roof and entire back room ripped off while another home was damaged in New Llano after a carport was blown into it. [60] [61] There was extensive damage to trees, power lines and poles, and structures in De Quincy and much of the town of Delcambre was left underwater due to flooding. [62] [63] The roof of a Market Basket store in Welsh and Hicks High School in Lacamp was blown off. [64] [65] A tree was blown down onto a fraternity house in Lafayette. [66]

Impact of landfall on natural gas exports in western Louisiana 1 U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) feedgas at selected export terminals in June 1 through October 6, 2020 (50435838458).png
Impact of landfall on natural gas exports in western Louisiana

Farther inland, a mesonet near Calvin measured a wind gust of 70 miles per hour (110 km/h). [67] Trees and power lines were blown down all over the cities of Mansfield and Shreveport. [68] In the latter city, a tree fell on a house, injuring a person inside while another tree fell on a vehicle. [69] [70] Multiple roads throughout Shreveport had to be closed due to the widespread tree damage. [71] In Monroe, trees and parking light poles were downed and metal roofing was blown off of multiple buildings. [72] Widespread flooding was reported in Natchitoches Parish, where I-49 had to be closed past SH 174 west of Powhatan due to a downed tree. [73] [74] In Natchitoches, utility poles were snapped and broken and power lines were blown down on a business on SH 1. [75] The police station in Robeline had its roof ripped off to go with the numerous downing of large trees throughout the town. [76] [77] In Shreveport, a large tree was blown down on the Centenary College of Louisiana campus while several homes were damaged by falling trees south-southwest of the city. [78] [79] In Greenwood, flash flooding led to high water over the shoulder roads of I-20 at exit 5 with drivers being advised to use US 80 as an alternative. [80] In Jena, multiple trees were blown down on homes and vehicles and power lines were downed all over town. [81] At Rutherford Beach, a 17-foot storm surge was measured ranking it as one of the highest storm surges on the gulf coast. [82] The storm also caused the largest power outage in Baton Rouge since Isaac in 2012. [83]

Fatalities

A total of 33 fatalities occurred throughout the state with four of them coming from falling trees. They included a 14-year-old girl in Vernon Parish, a 68-year-old man in Acadia Parish, a 51-year-old man in Jackson Parish, and a 64-year-old man in Allen Parish. [84] Carbon monoxide poisoning from generators being inside homes, which is strongly discouraged, led to the deaths of 12 people in Calcasieu Parish and two people in Allen Parish. [85] [86] Another man died of drowning while aboard a sinking boat during the storm. [87] Finally, one person died in Calcasieu Parish in a house fire, four people died in Calcasieu Parish, Natchitoches Parish, and Rapides Parish during the cleanup process, and eight others died in Beauregard Parish, Grant Parish, Rapides Parish, and Vernon Parish due to heat-related illnesses following the loss of electricity. [85]

Aftermath

National Guard troops respond in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles. The Capital One Tower in the background had many of its windows blown out. Hurricane Laura aftermath in Lake Charles Louisiana.jpg
National Guard troops respond in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles. The Capital One Tower in the background had many of its windows blown out.

The governors of both Texas and Louisiana surveyed storm damage in the hardest hit parts of their respective states after the storm had passed. Roads in both Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes in Louisiana were impassable, cutting off road access to both Cameron and Creole. About 200,000 people were left without drinking water after Laura made 80 water systems inoperable. Additionally, some areas saw complete destruction in their power grids, and over a million people lost power. Some areas were expected to be without power for weeks or even months. Multiple homes also were uninhabitable due to air conditioning units being destroyed. Recovery efforts were brought to a halt by additional rainfall in the days after Laura had passed. [87]

After the storm, President Donald Trump approved a post-storm major disaster declaration for 23 parishes in Louisiana on August 27. Two days later, he visited the areas most heavily affected by the storm, including Lake Charles in Calcasieu Parish, and Orange County. Trump visited the Cajun Navy, a rescue organization, and met with Governor John Bel Edwards. [88]

Post-storm assessments indicated extensive damage and losses to Louisiana's timber industry with some small private forest landowners reporting complete loss of their timber acreage, an outcome which they had not experienced in the aftermath of Hurricane Rita, 15 years earlier. [89] Extensive damage was also reported to Louisiana's industrial facilities with one-third showing some type of damage and nine out of the 138 facilities showing critical damage, causing environmental concerns. Some of the most critically damaged facilities were the BioLab facility and the Equistar Chemicals facility in Westlake, and the Chemical Waste Management facility and the Lotte Chemical plant in Lake Charles. [90]

Demolition of the Capital One Tower on September 7, 2024 Capital One Tower Demolition 9-7-24.jpg
Demolition of the Capital One Tower on September 7, 2024

Many of the repairs in Louisiana were undone six weeks later by Hurricane Delta, which made landfall just 12 miles (19 km) east of where Hurricane Laura did, with many areas in and around hard-hit Lake Charles being damaged again. [91] [92]

In the aftermath of the storm, the Capital One Tower stood vacant until the owners decided to demolish the building. On September 7, 2024, the skyscraper was imploded by a demolition crew after the property's owners, Hertz Investment Group, settled with the building's insurance provider, Zurich Insurance Group, for an undisclosed amount. The $7 million demolition was funded by private money secured by the Lake Charles city government. The future of the property remains uncertain. [93]

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tropical Storm Beta (2020)</span> Atlantic tropical storm

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Delta</span> Category 4 Atlantic hurricane in 2020

Hurricane Delta was a destructive tropical cyclone that became the record-tying fourth named storm of 2020 to make landfall in Louisiana, as well as the record-breaking tenth named storm to strike the United States in that year. The twenty-sixth tropical cyclone, twenty-fifth named storm, tenth hurricane, and third major hurricane of the record-breaking 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Delta formed from a tropical wave which was first monitored by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) on October 1. Moving westward, the tropical wave began to quickly organize. A well-defined center of circulation formed with sufficiently organized deep convection on October 4, and was designated as Tropical Depression Twenty-six and soon thereafter, Tropical Storm Delta. Extremely rapid intensification ensued throughout October 5 into October 6, with Delta becoming a Category 4 hurricane within 28 hours of attaining tropical storm status. The rate of intensification was the fastest in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. After peaking in intensity however, an unexpected increase in wind shear and dry air quickly weakened the small storm before it made landfall in Puerto Morelos, Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph (169 km/h) winds. It weakened some more over land before emerging into the Gulf of Mexico, where it was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane. After that, it began to restrengthen, regaining Category 3 status late on October 8. It then turned northward and reached a secondary peak intensity of 953 mbar (28.14 inHg) and winds of 120 mph early on October 9. Delta then began to turn more north-northeastward into an area of cooler waters, higher wind shear, and dry air, causing it to weaken back to Category 2 status. Delta then made landfall at 23:00 UTC near Creole, Louisiana with winds of 100 mph (160 km/h) and a pressure of 970 mbar (29 inHg). The storm began to weaken more rapidly after landfall, becoming post-tropical just 22 hours later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hurricane Zeta</span> Category 3 Atlantic hurricane in 2020

Hurricane Zeta was a late-season tropical cyclone in 2020 that made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula and then in southeastern Louisiana, the latest on record to do so at such strength in the United States. Zeta was the record-tying sixth hurricane of the year to make landfall in the United States. The twenty-seventh named storm, twelfth hurricane and fifth major hurricane of the extremely active 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, Zeta formed from a broad area of low pressure that formed in the western Caribbean Sea on October 19. After battling wind shear, the quasi-stationary low organized into Tropical Depression Twenty-Eight on October 24. The system strengthened into Tropical Storm Zeta early on October 25 before becoming a hurricane the next day as it began to move northwestward. Hurricane Zeta made landfall on the Yucatán Peninsula late on October 26 and weakened while inland to a tropical storm, before moving off the northern coast of the peninsula on October 27. After weakening due to dry air entrainment, Zeta reorganized and became a hurricane again, and eventually a Category 2 hurricane, as it turned northeastward approaching the United States Gulf Coast on October 28. It continued to strengthen until it reached its peak intensity as a major Category 3 hurricane with 115-mile-per-hour (185 km/h) sustained winds and a minimum pressure of 970 mbar (28.64 inHg) as it made landfall at Cocodrie, Louisiana, that evening. Zeta continued on through Mississippi and parts of Alabama with hurricane-force winds. Zeta gradually weakened as it accelerated northeastward, and became post-tropical on October 29, as it moved through central Virginia, dissipating shortly afterwards off the coast of New Jersey. After bringing accumulating snow to parts of New England, the extratropical low-pressure system carrying Zeta's remnant energy impacted the United Kingdom on November 1 and 2.

The following is a list of events of the year 2024 in Arkansas.

References

  1. ↑ "Microsoft Word – AL132020_Laura_20210526" (PDF). nhc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Hurricane LAURA Advisory Archive". nhc.noaa.gov. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  3. ↑ "Tropical Storm Laura Discussion 8". NHC. August 21, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-08-22. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  4. ↑ Letzter, Rafi (August 21, 2020). "First ever double hurricane could hit the Gulf of Mexico, Live Science". Live Science. Archived from the original on 2020-08-22. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  5. ↑ "US Gulf coast braces for hurricane double hit". South China Morning Post. Agence France-Presse. August 24, 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-08-23. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  6. ↑ Raphelson, Samantha; Treisman, Rachel (26 August 2020). "Hurricane Laura Strengthens To Category 4 — And Threatens 'Unsurvivable' Storm Surge". NPR. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Storm Prediction Center Tornado Watch 452". spc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Storm Prediction Center Tornado Watch 453". spc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  9. ↑ "Storm Prediction Center Tornado Watch 454". spc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on August 28, 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  10. ↑ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: EWW from NWS LCH". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  11. ↑ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: EWW from NWS LCH". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  12. ↑ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: EWW from NWS LCH". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  13. ↑ Karlin, Sam (August 21, 2020). "State of emergency declared for Louisiana ahead of tropical systems headed toward Gulf". The New Orleans Advocate. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  14. 1 2 Nowak, Jeff (August 23, 2020). "Louisiana emergency declaration approved by White House, freeing up FEMA aid as Marco, Laura loom". nola.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  15. ↑ Whitfield, Kyle (August 22, 2020). "Evacuations announced ahead of Tropical Storm Marco: see a list". nola.com. Archived from the original on August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  16. 1 2 "Over half a million people ordered to evacuate Gulf Coast as Hurricane Laura looms". CBS News. August 25, 2020. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  17. ↑ Manning, Johnathan (August 25, 2020). "Calcasieu officials issue mandatory evacuation ahead of Laura". KPLC-TV. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Gov. Edwards announces I-10 closures ahead of Hurricane Laura landfall". WGNO. 27 August 2020. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
  19. ↑ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: Storm Based Warning Polygon Visual Summary". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  20. ↑ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: Storm Based Warning Polygon Visual Summary". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  21. ↑ Louisiana Event Report: EF0 Tornado. National Centers for Environmental Information (Report). National Weather Service. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Storm Prediction Center Today's Storm Reports". spc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Hurricane LAURA". nhc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on August 26, 2020. Retrieved August 26, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Hurricane LAURA". nhc.noaa.gov. Archived from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  25. ↑ Power Outage Repairs in Louisiana After Hurricane Laura Cost Up to $1.4 Billion, The Weather Channel, September 24, 2020
  26. ↑ "Hurricane LAURA". nhc.noaa.gov. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  27. ↑ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: LSR from NWS LCH". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  28. ↑ Herzmann, Daryl. "IEM :: LSR from NWS LCH". mesonet.agron.iastate.edu. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
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Hurricane Laura
Laura 2020-08-27 0420Z.jpg
Laura making landfall in Cameron, Louisiana near peak intensity early on August 27