A chemical fire is burning at a plant near Lake Charles, Louisiana, governor says
From CNN’s Devon M. Sayers, Gary Tuchman, Anne Clifford
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards confirmed that a chemical fire is burning at a plant in southeast Louisiana. He urged all residents to shelter in place, turn off air conditioning units and to wait further directions from local officials.
Emergency alerts pinged cellphones in the Lake Charles area with the following message:
“Plant fire: Westlake residents shelter in place, close doors, windows, turn off a/c follow media.”
The Parish office of Emergency management was unable to provide details at this point regarding the incident.
CNN crews in the area saw a large plume of smoke coming from a facility near I-10 in Lake Charles.
More than 10,000 residents in Texas and Louisiana went to shelters last night
From CNN’s Amanda Watts
According to a statement from Greta Gustafson with the American Red Cross, “last night, more than 10,000 people across Texas and Louisiana were provided a safe place to stay by local officials in emergency lodgings, including shelters and, in some circumstances, hotels.”
“With the light of day bringing the full scope of Hurricane Laura into view, it’s clear the storm produced devastating results. Overnight I witnessed extreme winds, heavy rains, street flooding, property damage and loss of power,” Stephanie Wagner, also with the Red Cross, said from Louisiana.
The Red Cross is providing blankets, cots and personal protective equipment for those in need. They are also on stand-by in Arkansas as the catastrophic storm continues to move north.
More than 400 Red Cross disaster workers are on the ground, with another 400 mobilized virtually, Gustafson said.
Three deaths reported in Louisiana after Hurricane Laura
From CNN’s Devon M. Sayers
Three deaths have been reported in Louisiana as a result of Hurricane Laura, a spokesperson for the state tells CNN
“The Acadia parish coroner has confirmed the death of a 60 year old male that died after a tree fell onto the house he was in. The coroner has confirmed death is considered a storm-related death,” Mike Steele, spokesperson for the State Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, told CNN
Another man died in Jackson Parish, when a tree fell on a home he was in, Steel said.
The governor’s office had previously confirmed the death of a 14-year-old girl in Vernon Perish when a tree hit fell on her home.
Plant fire reported in Lake Charles, Louisiana, following Hurricane Laura
From CNN’s Devon M. Sayers, Gary Tuchman, Anne Clifford
An “incident” is being investigated in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Mike Steele, spokesperson for the state office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, told CNN. Steele said that State Police and the State Fire Marshall are the lead agencies for hazmat incidents.
Emergency alerts pinged cellphones in the Lake Charles area with the following message:
“Plant fire: Westlake residents shelter in place, close doors, windows, turn off a/c follow media.”
The parish’s office of emergency management was unable to provide details at this point regarding the incident. A spokesperson for the governor’s office said, “We are looking into it and will release details when they are available.”
CNN crews in the area saw a large plume of smoke coming from a facility near I-10 in Lake Charles.
Laura is still a Category 1 hurricane
Hurricane Laura remains a Category 1 storms as it travels northward through Louisiana, according to a noon ET update from the National Hurricane Center.
The storm current has winds of 75 mph.
“Damaging winds and flooding rainfall spreading inland over central and northern portions of Louisiana,” the center said in the update. “High water levels persist along portions of the Gulf Coast.”
More than 700,000 customers are without power because of Hurricane Laura
There are at least 709,465 customers without power in Louisiana and Texas as of 11:45 a.m. ET, according to PowerOutage.US.
Louisiana is experiencing the most significant outages from Hurricane Laura, with at least 570,706 current outages. Texas, meanwhile, is reporting at least 138,759 outages.
Catch up: Here’s the latest updates on Hurricane Laura
Hurricane Laura slammed into the Louisiana coast overnight as a dangerous Category 4 storm. It’s since weakened, but it continues to travel northward through the state.
If you’re just reading in now, here’s what you need to know:
- Downgraded — but still a threat: Hurricane Laura is now a Category 1 storm, but Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards urged residents to continue following local storm guidance, saying the hurricane is still a threat.
- Heavy rain expected: From late Thursday morning onward, Laura was expected to drop another 4 to 8 inches of rain across parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. Isolated amounts of 18 inches are possible in Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center said.
- Power outages in Texas and Louisiana: More than 700,000 customers in Texas and Louisiana were without power Thursday morning, according to PowerOutages.us.
- Where it goes next: Laura is expected stay a hurricane until it reaches the Arkansas border, the director of the National Hurricane Center says.
Laura will move into Arkansas this evening. Here is what to expect.
From CNN’s Judson Jones
Laura will continue to weaken as it crosses into Arkansas later today and overnight. However, this does not diminish the effects it could have on the state.
Tropical Storm-force winds will sweep across the region. With at times, gusts over 60mph. “Winds this strong could down trees and power lines, with power outages possible,” says the National Weather Service in Little Rock.
There is also a slight risk for tornadoes across most of the state. Tornadoes associated with hurricanes and tropical storms are often isolated and tend to be brief and weak.
“Even so, they can still cause damage,” the National Weather Service warns.
In addition, 4 to 6 inches of rainfall is forecast from Texarkana to just northeast of Little Rock.
With this rain coming down in just a short amount of time, flash flooding is likely.
“Flash flooding could be serious in places,” the Little Rock weather office said.
White House urges those affected by Laura to heed officials’ warnings
From CNN’s Sam Fossum
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany issued a statement on Hurricane Laura, encouraging those affected to heed warnings from state and local authorities.
She reiterated that Trump was briefed earlier this week by acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Pete Gaynor and said he continues to “receive regular updates about the conditions on the ground.”
“President Trump is committed to deploying the full resources of the Federal Government to rescue those in distress, support those in the region affected, and restore disruptions to our communities and infrastructure,” McEnany said.
