Hurricane Laura Slams Louisiana

CAMERON, La.—Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane overnight near Cameron, Louisiana, packing winds as strong as 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm weakened to a Category 2 packing damaging winds as it tracked inland across western Louisiana toward Arkansas. Officials said it was too early to assess damage and any deaths from the massive storm.

Ahead of the hurricane’s landfall, meteorologists were predicting storm surges of up to 20 feet in some areas. “What doesn’t get blown down by the wind could easily get knocked down by the rising ocean waters pushing well inland,” said Stacy Stewart, a senior hurricane specialist. A storm surge of nearly 14 feet was measured on Vermillion River, along the south-central Louisiana coast.

Interstate 10, the main east-west artery across southern Louisiana, was closed due to the storm. In Lake Charles, La., powerful winds shattered windows in buildings and tore off roofs. Power was out at more than half a million homes in southeast Texas and Louisiana.

The storm is expected to weaken to a tropical storm today over Arkansas, then weaken to a tropical depression as it moves toward Kentucky and Tennessee on Friday.

Laura grew nearly 70% in power in just 24 hours to reach Category 4 status, with maximum sustained winds around 140 mph yesterday afternoon. Top winds of 145 mph were predicted before landfall, pushing water onto more than 450 miles of coast from Texas to Mississippi.

More than 385,000 residents were told to evacuate the cities of Beaumont, Galveston and Port Arthur in Texas. Another 200,000 were ordered to leave the low-lying Calcasieu and Cameron parishes in Louisiana, where forecasters said as much as 13 feet of storm surge topped by waves could submerge entire communities.

As NACS Daily reported in June, the National Weather Center has predicted a busy Atlantic hurricane season for 2020 that is expected to include 13 to 19 named storms, six to 10 of which could become hurricanes. In an average hurricane season, there are 12 named storms.

The current coronavirus pandemic makes preparing for a hurricane even more complicated this year, NACS Daily reported earlier this month. Officials urged people to stay with relatives or in hotel rooms to avoid spreading COVID-19. Shelters opened with cots set farther apart to curb coronavirus infections. Evacuees were told to bring a mask and just one bag of personal items each.

Laura was expected to dump massive amounts of rain as it moved inland, causing widespread flash flooding in states far from the coast. Flash flood watches were issued for much of Arkansas, and forecasters said heavy rainfall could move to parts of Missouri, Tennessee and Kentucky late Friday and Saturday.

Convenience store operators are often on the front lines of service immediately before and after hurricanes hit, providing communities with much needed food and fuel. NACS Magazine’s August issue includes a story on dealing with disasters, including hurricanes, and their impact on convenience retailers, with advice on extra precautions amid COVID-19.

For more information on how to prepare for hurricanes and other natural disasters in order to help your communities, see the NACS Convenience Store Emergency Planning and Job Aid resources. Watch the six preparedness videos or download the guides. There’s a free mobile app, too, with all job aids and videos, so employees can easily access them on their phones in an emergency. Go to http://www.saberspace.org/nacs-app.html and complete the brief enrollment, then download the app on an Apple or Android mobile device.

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