FACT CHECK: Does This Photo Show Sharks Caught On Power Lines In The Aftermath Of Hurricane Laura?
It is not related to Hurricane Laura
Three dead from fallen trees, including 14-year-old girl, after Hurricane Laura rocks Louisiana coast
Hurricane Laura has claimed the lives of at least three individuals, including a teenage girl in Louisiana, officials reported Thursday morning.
The first reported fatality was a 14-year-old girl who died after a wind-swept tree fell on her home in Leesburg, Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) announced during a news conference Thursday.
That news was followed by reports of two more deaths that occurred under similar circumstances.
"One man died in Acadia Parish and another in Jackson Parish after trees fell on their homes," the Louisiana Office of Emergency Preparedness said, according to NBC News.
Edwards and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), whose state was also hit hard by the hurricane, said Thursday that search and rescue teams are continuing to look for people who may have been trapped or injured by the storm.
Both governors added that no widespread casualties have been reported so far and that it appears, at least initially, that the storm surge was not as bad as they feared.
The National Hurricane Center had warned Wednesday that Laura's landfall would be "unsurvivable" and "catastrophic" for the Louisiana-Texas coast.
Sure enough, the Category 4 hurricane was one of the most powerful to ever hit the continental United States, rocking the coast with winds up to 150 mph. The coast caught a break regarding the storm surge, however, which was projected to be as high as 20 feet but ended up coming in at 11 feet.
Abbott credited the low casualty count to the thousands of residents who listened to advice from officials and evacuated the coast.
Wreckage from the storm is expected to be significant, however. On Thursday morning, several harrowing images of the storm and its aftermath emerged on social media.
Of course, it will be days and possibly weeks until the full extent of the damage is assessed.
8-27-2020 Lake Charles, La Hurricane Laura Homes destroyed, flooded, trees down drone youtu.be
Frightening images emerge on social media of Hurricane Laura's landfall and aftermath
Hurricane Laura, one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the continental United States, made landfall early Thursday morning near Lake Charles, Louisiana, bringing winds of over 150 mph and up to 9 feet of storm surge, according to the Weather Channel.
On Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center called the storm "unsurvivable" and "catastrophic" and now we are getting a first glimpse of the wreckage it caused, including tearing buildings to pieces and leaving more than half a million without power.
Self-described storm chaser Reed Timmer posted a video on Twitter showing a building being battered by strong winds causing glass shards from windows to fly everywhere.
NEW: buildings completely gutted, glass falling everywhere in downtown Lake Charles, LA in the eye of… https://t.co/xGeRXo9UO4— Reed Timmer (@Reed Timmer)1598518077.0
Hours later, he would post another video from the eye of the storm, warning that the damage toll on the Gulf Coast would be grave.
EYE WALL of powerful #HurricaneLaura in Lake Charles, LA with the Dominator Fore and HERV taking some debris. Sadly… https://t.co/j1hvQF1MkL— Reed Timmer (@Reed Timmer)1598524990.0
The strong winds can be seen bending trees back in a video posted by "Hurricane Man" Josh Morgerman.
In it. https://t.co/k8GsOQPRLd— Josh Morgerman (@Josh Morgerman)1598508874.0
Then, as the sun rose in Lake Charles, the extent of the damage could be seen.
8-27-2020 Lake Charles, La Hurricane Laura Homes destroyed, flooded, trees down drone www.youtube.com
Significant damage all over Lake Charles #Laura https://t.co/6v2a9CWIkG— Aaron Rigsby (@Aaron Rigsby)1598530770.0
Aside from the damage to buildings, there is obviously a fear that, despite mandatory evacuation orders, not all residents were able to escape from the storm's path in time.
"There are some people still in town and people are calling ... but there ain't no way to get to them," Tony Guillory, president of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury, told the Associated Press early Thursday morning on the phone.
For those who remained on the coast during the storm surge, chances of survival were severely diminished.
"We know anyone that stayed that close to the coast, we've got to pray for them, because looking at the storm surge, there would be little chance of survival," Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser added on ABC's "Good Morning America."
But so far, no deaths have been reported as a result of the storm.
Nat'l Hurricane Center warns Laura will be 'unsurvivable,' 'catastrophic' for Texas, Louisiana
As Hurricane Laura barrels towards an expected landfall at the Texas and Louisiana border Wednesday night, experts are warning that the storm surge will be "unsurvivable" and the damage "catastrophic."
The National Hurricane Center raised the alarm in a grim Twitter post Wednesday morning, noting that the storm would bring destructive waves and could penetrate 30 miles inland between Sea Rim State Park, Texas, and Intracoastal City, Louisiana.
Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, T… https://t.co/XoRNuN6NNQ— National Hurricane Center (@National Hurricane Center)1598454600.0
Laura, currently a Category 3 hurricane with 125 mph winds, is expected to strengthen to a Category 4 hurricane by the time it makes landfall later today, the Weather Channel reported.
The report noted that Laura's winds jumped from 75 mph to 125 mph in the 24-hour period ending at 11 a.m. EDT, an increase which "easily meets the definition of rapid intensification in a hurricane."
The outlet advised "residents along the upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts [to] finish preparations now for a major hurricane strike" and "follow any evacuation orders issued by local or state officials."
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) repeated the warning Wednesday afternoon, concurring that it is "an unsurvivable storm" and informing residents under mandatory evacuation orders that they only had a "few hours" left to escape its path.
"This is different than Hurricane Harvey, for example, which was a heavy rain event and a flood event," Abbott said. "This is a horrific wind event, especially where the eye will come across the shore ... those people are in harm's way."
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) issued similar warnings to residents of his state during a briefing Wednesday morning and even noted that residents further inland need to pay close attention as the storm could produce flooding and tornadoes.
Here's more about the storm:
4 AM: Hurricane Laura rapidly strengthened, expected to be Cat. 4 youtu.be
Gulf of Mexico has never had two hurricanes at same time; history could be made as storms threaten Louisiana and Texas
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted that the 2020 hurricane season would be busy with the potential for "extreme activity." But there was no way they could forecast the possibility of double hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time because there have never been two hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico at the same time in documented history. There are currently two storms marching towards the Gulf Coast of the United States.
"Official records go back to 1851. Based on the WPC (Weather Prediction Center) analysis, there is no record of two hurricanes at the exact same time in the Gulf of Mexico," an NOAA staffer told WABC-TV.
Tropical Storms Laura and Marco are barreling towards the Gulf coasts of Louisiana and Texas. Tropical Storm Marco has a head start and is already in the Gulf of Mexico, and is expected to make landfall on Monday. Tropical Storm Laura is predicted to arrive in the U.S. by Wednesday, exactly three years after Category 4 Hurricane Harvey smashed into Texas and caused catastrophic flooding Louisiana.
As of 5 p.m. EST, Tropical Storm Laura has sustained winds of 50 mph while dumping heavy rains on Puerto Rico and is headed to the Dominican Republic, according to the NOAA. Tropical storm warnings were issued to Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Haiti, the Bahamas, and the Florida Keys. A hurricane watch has been posted on the Louisiana coast.
As of 4 p.m. EST, Tropical Storm Marco is east of the Yucatan Peninsula with sustained winds of 65 mph and is expected to develop into a Category 1 hurricane by Monday.
The storms are currently forecast to make landfall as hurricanes, but upper-level shear ahead of the storms is expected to weaken them both before hitting Louisiana or Texas.
The latest forecast from the NOAA predicts that both storms will make landfall as Category 1 hurricanes near New Orleans. It's 2020, why would you expect anything less than double hurricanes.
There has been a significant change in the forecast from the NHC, now expecting #Marco to make landfall near the Ne… https://t.co/u1TfJZJDpg— Hurricane Tracker App (@Hurricane Tracker App)1598130122.0
MAJOR SHIFT#Marco now expected to make landfall in #Louisiana and so is #Laura. https://t.co/XQe5lmjC87— Alan Auglis (@Alan Auglis)1598129824.0
This animation depicts the forecast center of circulation proximity of Marco to Laura over the next five days. It d… https://t.co/QcMLuOfwhE— NWS Lake Charles (@NWS Lake Charles)1598121710.0
Kind of a historical week coming up w/2 legitimate hurricane threats within 48hrs for S LA. Acadiana is in two cone… https://t.co/cgu2U5OufO— Rob Perillo (@Rob Perillo)1598127737.0
#Marco: Small circulations can spin up quickly, and this one has within a burst in a portion of a strung-out band… https://t.co/2eyda6GCb2— Stu Ostro (@Stu Ostro)1598110983.0
Despite the systems following similar paths and being in close proximity, experts say that they can not combine to become a "supercane."
"That's because each system has sinking air on its outskirts, which presses down on the other system," CBS News reported. "So, when two systems are that close, the larger one tends to weaken the smaller one. And in some cases they can even dance around one another in a phenomena called the 'Fujiwhara effect.'"
Tropical Storm Laura was the 12th named storm of the hurricane season, and Marco was the 13th. This hurricane season ties 2005 for the record of the highest number of tropical storms before September. The 2005 hurricane season was especially destructive with Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma.
Tropical Storm Laura is forecast to strengthen over the Gulf of Mexico & could bring surge rainfall & wind impacts… https://t.co/383L2LDcsq— NWS Eastern Region (@NWS Eastern Region)1598133861.0
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