Hurricane Laura: storm to bring 'unsurvivable
surge' of destruction to US gulf coast
Half a million people have been ordered to evacuate as
storm is predicted to reach Texas and Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane
Wednesday evening
Oliver
Laughland in New Orleans and Adam Gabbatt in New York
Wed 26 Aug
2020 17.21 BSTFirst published on Tue 25 Aug 2020 19.13 BST
Hurricane
Laura is expected to bring an “unsurvivable storm surge with large and
destructive waves” to parts of the US gulf coast late Wednesday or early
Thursday, officials warned, as half a million people were ordered to evacuate.
The storm
was roaring across the ocean on Wednesday afternoon and is predicted to hit
Texas and Louisiana on Wednesday evening, the National Hurricane Center (NHC)
said. Laura was on the verge of becoming a category 4 storm, NHC said, with
winds that could exceed 110mph.
The National
Hurricane Center warned of the potentially deadly surge penetrating up to 30
miles inland in parts of western Louisiana, including New Orleans, and eastern
Texas.
As the
hurricane barreled towards the US gulf coast, healthcare workers in Texas and the
south-west Louisiana region, areas which have struggled to control the
coronavirus, were braced for the potential effects of a natural disaster during
the pandemic.
Laura was
300 miles off the US coast on Wednesday morning, and moving north-west at a
speed of 15mph, the NHC said.
“Laura
should approach the Upper Texas and south-west Louisiana coasts this evening
and move inland near those areas tonight or Thursday morning,” the NHC said in
a statement.
“Laura is
forecast to become a category 4 hurricane today, and is expected to be a major
hurricane at landfall.”
At least
nine local jurisdictions have issued mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders,
meaning hundreds of thousands of people could be displaced by storm preparation
during the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has devastated Texas and
Louisiana.
Hospitals
throughout the region were moving to discharge as many patients as possible who
were well enough to return home and urged hurricane preparedness to prevent a potential
surge in patients.
In Houston,
the biggest city under threat from Laura, doctors at the largest medical system
in the region told local news hospitals were ready for a potential influx as
the number of Covid-19 patients continued to decline.
“All of our
facilities are ready for floods and high winds so I think we’re in as good
shape as we can be when these things come close to the coast,” Dr David
Callender, Memorial Hermann System president and CEO, told ABC 8 News.
With
reference to the pandemic, Callender added: “We’re in much better shape now
than we were then, and that gives us a little more freedom and flexibility in
terms of how we respond to storms.”
In Harris
county, the jurisdiction that incorporates most of Houston, masks, hand
sanitizer and sanitary wipes have been added to the list of essential items
residents have been urged to procure in order to ride out the storm. In Port
Arthur, a small city north of Houston under a mandatory evacuation order,
residents are being told they must bring a mask if they evacuate to one of the
city’s hurricane shelters.
Harris
county remains a Covid-19 hotspot although the county has seen a decline in
positive tests in recent weeks it still lists over 25,000 active cases as of
Tuesday morning. At least 200 people have died from the virus a day in Texas
for the past three weeks, according to the Texas Tribune.
The NHC
said a storm surge of up to 15ft in parts of south-east Texas and south-west
Louisiana, and could inundate certain areas of the coast – with warnings that
such a rise could lead to substantial inland flooding.
There were
also concerns of up to 15in of rainwater in certain areas of Louisiana, which
could lead to flash flooding.
29 August
marks the 15th anniversary of the devastating effects of hurricane Katrina on
New Orleans and other coastal cities in the region. A devastating hurricane
that led to an official death toll in Louisiana of 1,833.
Louisiana’s
governor, John Bel Edwards, said Laura could cause major damage to certain
parts of the state.
“Every
storm is unique. We’re only going to dodge the bullet so many times,” he told
reporters.
The
governor said Louisiana would remain in phase two of coronavirus reopening,
meaning most businesses will stay at 50% capacity with mandatory mask wearing
throughout the state.
On Sunday
Louisiana recorded 1,223 new coronavirus cases over a two-day period, with a
decline in hospitalizations
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