4 years ago
311 
This is the first time in 8 years Louisiana has activated its full National Guard
From CNN’s Devon M. Sayers in Atlanta
A member of the Louisiana National Guard prepares a boat for the arrival of Hurricane Laura on August 26, 2020 in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThe full Louisiana National Guard has been activated ahead of Hurricane Laura's landfall, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced at a press conference today. He said the last time the state had activated the full guard was for Hurricane Issac in 2012.
“We need everyone in southwest Louisiana paying close attention to this storm,“ Gov. Edwards said. “People need to heed the warnings they have been given and evacuate” he added. He called the expected storm surge un-survivable in some Parishes in the path of the storm.
The governor said that more than 3,000 members of the guard are currently deployed, with that number to increase this afternoon. In addition to the personnel, 19 aircraft, 920,000 liters of water and more than half a million meals have been pre-deployed, Edwards added.
About 2,000 hotel rooms had been secured this evening to help shelter people as a result of the storm and to also help with social distancing, Edwards said.
All commercial traffic along I-10 is being detoured north from I-10 to I-20, Shawn Wilson commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Transportation said at a press conference.
Texas governor says the state anticipates heavy winds, flash floods and river flooding from Laura
From CNN's Amanda Watts
An LNG processing plant is seen in Cameron, Louisiana on August 26, 2020. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty ImagesTexas Gov. Greg Abbott said winds could be the biggest threat from Hurricane Laura.
“The storm surge is also a big problem — with 10 to 15 feet storm surge around the Jefferson County area, we should expect some flash floods in various regions where the storm will be going through, and those flash floods could spill into rivers and the rivers could overflow," Abbott said during a Wednesday afternoon presser.
Abbott warned that “the one river that we do anticipate having the greatest challenge is the Sabine River,” which is along the Texas and Louisiana border.
Abbott said there will be a roughly 24-hour period where “there will be no ability for rescuers or operators to get in and assist you in any way.”
On Wednesday, Abbott added Camp, Ellis and Tarrant counties to the disaster declaration which was already in place from earlier this week. Ellis and Tarrant are housing many evacuees from the coastal areas he said.
Vermilion Parish in Louisiana issues a curfew and evacuation orders for some areas
From CNN's Amanda Watts
A mandatory evacuation order for several areas and a curfew order are now in place in Vermilion Parish in Louisiana.
The following areas are under a mandatory evacuation order, according to posts on the Vermilion Parish Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Facebook page:
A curfew will be parish-wide starting at 8 p.m. until 5 a.m. local time.
The parish anticipates a storm surge from Hurricane Laura from 12 to 18 feet, officials said on Facebook.
We're talking a lot about storm surge today. Here's what you need to know.
From CNN's Steve Almasy and Dakin Andone
People photograph waves in Galveston, Texas, on August 26. Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News/APWhen Laura makes landfall, the storm will bring with it an "unsurvivable storm surge," the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday.
Here are some important things to know about here:
Read more here on why coastal communities should fear storm surge.
CNN's Brandon Miller, Gene Norman, Judson Jones and Emily Smith contributed to this report.
The full Louisiana National Guard has been activated
The full Louisiana National Guard has been activated ahead of Hurricane Laura's landfall, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced at a press conference.
“We need everyone in southwest Louisiana paying close attention to this storm, the governor said. "People need to heed the warnings they have been given and evacuate.”
He called the expected storm surge unsurvivable in some parishes in the path of the storm.
Gov. Bel Edwards: Storm surge flooding is starting right now in Louisiana
More than half of Lake Charles, Louisiana, could go underwater
From CNN's Haley Brink
Major flooding is expected across Lake Charles, Louisiana, beginning this afternoon and lasting through tomorrow morning.
The Calcasieu River, which runs through Lake Charles, is currently forecast to rise to 15.6 feet by tomorrow morning. If this forecast plays out, it will surpass the previous record of 13.0 feet — which was set on Oct. 1, 1913 — by more than 2 feet.
At 13.0 feet, "Over half of the city of Lake Charles is flooded," according to the National Weather Service.
Since the city has never seen more than 13.0 feet of water along this river in recorded history, there is no way to know how widespread flooding of more than 15.0 feet could be.
Hurricane Ike, in 2008, brought the water levels here to 11 feet during its storm surge, inundating numerous homes.
The Calcasieu River connects directly to the Gulf of Mexico, just west of Cameron, Louisiana.
Cameron, Louisiana, is forecast to see an "unsurvivable" storm surge of 15 to 20 feet. This storm surge is then forecast to push up the river, directly impacting cities such as Lake Charles.
"This surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline" warns the National Hurricane Center.
This flooding will occur extremely quickly, a 12-foot rise in just 18 hours, as the storm surge arrives in conjunction with high tide. Having the storm surge coinciding with the high tide is a worst-case scenario.
Trump tweets to Americans in hurricane's path: "Listen to local officials. We are with you!"
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Trump encouraged those in Hurricane Laura's path to listen to local officials as the storm barrels toward the Gulf Coast.
“Hurricane Laura is a very dangerous and rapidly intensifying hurricane," he tweeted today.
Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh was unable to say whether night three of the Republican National Convention would be impacted by the storm or whether it would figure into the messaging.
“I have not seen the final draft of remarks. I know that the President and the White House is of course on top of the situation regarding the storms. And that’s, probably, to talk about moment to moment what is happening there, that’s a question better aimed at the White House,” he told reporters on a briefing call when asked how the storm would be addressed in tonight’s program.
Local Louisiana officials to residents: Leave now
From CNN’s Devon M. Sayers
Calcasieu Parish Louisiana officials urged residents to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Laura, cautioning that this storm could be bad.
"We expect a catastrophic event from this storm," Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said during a press conference.
"Please, if you have not left yet, do so soon," Calcasieu Parish Jury President Tony Guillory said.
The parish issued a mandatory evacuation order yesterday, and the county said more than 600 people have used county provided buses to evacuate the Parish.
The parish is home to over 200,000 residents along the Texas state line.
If you're just reading in, here's what we know about the storm so far
Tyler Arnold and David Lohr work on placing plywood over the windows of a business before the arrival of Hurricane Laura on Tuesday in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesHurricane Laura, a Category 3 storm, continues to barrel toward the Gulf coastlines of Texas and Louisiana.
If you're just joining us, here's where things stand now:
