Hurricane Laura moves toward Arkansas

Hurricane Laura roared across the Louisiana coastline early Thursday as a Category 4 storm, bringing 150-mph winds and devastating destruction.

Authorities warn a “life-threatening” storm surge continues along much of the Louisiana coastline with the risk of strong winds, flooding and possible tornadoes.

The damage is only beginning to come into full view as day breaks but more than 600,000 people are already without power.

CNN meteorologist Allison Chinchar is answering viewer questions.

Watch the video here:

Jefferson County in Texas is set to lift its evacuation order at 11 a.m. ET, according to a post on the county Office of Emergency Management page.  

The county borders Louisiana to the east and includes Port Arthur and Beaumont.  

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, along with local law enforcement agencies “are assessing roadways and trying to clear debris.” 

The office asks that residents give crews time to clear the roadways before returning to their homes.

The Shark Shack Beach Bar and Grill is boarded up on the nearly deserted Strand Street in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday, August 26. Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP

The City of Galveston is lifting its evacuation and curfew orders this morning after the city “was spared the destruction of Hurricane Laura.” 

The city said it “did not sustain wind or storm damage, and water is receding in low-lying areas that experienced street flooding,” according to a post on Facebook. Additionally, there are no major power outages to report.  

“While we feel thankful and lucky this morning, our thoughts are with our neighbors along the upper Texas Coast and Louisiana. The City has reached out to our various partners to see how we may be able to provide help to those affected by Hurricane Laura," Galveston added in the post.

CNN

Hurricane Laura is now a Category 1 storm, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Laura made landfall overnight in Louisiana as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, but it has been weakening as it travels northward through Louisiana.

However, earlier today, Ken Graham, the director of the National Hurricane Center, said that Laura is expected to remain a hurricane until it nearly reaches Arkansas.

"We expect Hurricane Laura to still be a hurricane even when you get up to Shreveport, right on the Arkansas border," he said on CNN this morning.

There are at least 603,331 customers without power in Louisiana and Texas this morning as of 9:30 a.m. ET, according to PowerOutage.US.

Louisiana is experiencing the most significant outages from Hurricane Laura. Here's the breakdown of reported outages:

KXAN

CNN affiliate KXAN shared these pictures taken by their crew in Vinton, Louisiana. The crew rode out the Hurricane from within the eyewall.

Vinton is between Beaumont, Texas, and Lake Charles, Louisiana.

The pictures show the extent of the damage with the roof of a gas station toppled and metal poles torn down.

KXAN

KXAN

Lafourche Parish Sheriff

A social media post by the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office in Louisiana said, “LA 1 remains closed this morning south of the Leon Theriot Lock in Golden Meadow.” 

The office did not have an estimate of when the roadway could potentially reopen. Portions of Lafourche Parish are still under a mandatory evacuation order, the sheriff’s office said.

Hurricane Laura is still a Category 2 storm. It will likely still be a hurricane as it approaches the Arkansas-Louisiana border by mid-day.

Hurricane-force winds are likely to spread through the I-20 corridor. This prompted the National Weather Service to expand the hurricane warnings northward through the state.

Later this afternoon, the storm will have moved entirely into Arkansas, with winds and rain diminishing in Louisiana. 

"In its wake, however, we will see the brunt of Laura's impacts as widespread power outages are likely given the wind speeds anticipated over much of the southern half of the region," the Shreveport weather office said. 

President Trump will visit to the The Federal Emergency Management Agency later today to be briefed on Hurricane Laura, according to White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany.

The timing of this is still unclear.