From securing shelters and coordinating evacuations that allow for social distancing to ensuring an ample workforce for emergency response, the pandemic is presenting a unique set of complexities for emergency management. "The past biggies were Hurricane Audrey of 1957 which made landfall in almost the exact same place, killed hundreds of people in the town of Cameron," he said. LIVE Coverage of Hurricane Laura from Surfside, TX. But the agency is facing a unique set of complexities in the face of a pandemic and a hurricane. East Texas was able to avoid the worst of the storm, which was expected to weaken to a tropical depression overnight. Laura's maximum sustained winds jumped from 75 mph to 140 mph in the 24 hours ending 1 p.m. CDT Wednesday. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, the victims include a 14-year-old girl from Vernon Parish, a 51-year-old man from Jackson Parish, a 64-year-old woman from Allen Parish, and a 68-year-old man from Acadia Parish. America's News HQ; America's Newsroom ; Cavuto; Cavuto Live; Fox Files; Fox News @ Night; Fox News Sunday; Fox News Reporting; Fox & Friends First; Fox & Friends; Fox Report … ... As of noon Thursday, the National Hurricane Center had downgraded Laura to a tropical storm with 70 mph winds. For video troubleshooting and help click here. Tropical storm warnings, which are intended to alert residents of high winds and possible storm surges and flooding, were in effect for northern Louisiana, southern Arkansas, and extreme western Mississippi. The storm surge topped 10 feet in parts of western Louisiana, far less than the maximum prediction of 15-20 feet. WATCH LIVE: Hurricane Laura is nearing landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border with sustained winds of 150 mph. Laura previously remained a strong hurricane for several hours after making landfall and pushing inland, even as it approached the Shreveport area. Latest WPC forecast maps are shown near the end. That made Laura the most intense hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana in 164 years, since what was called the Last Island Storm in 1856. Powerful Hurricane Laura battered the Louisiana coastline Thursday morning after sweeping ashore as the region's strongest storm in over a century. The region has learned how to better respond to earthquakes -- but "Hurricane Laura, because of its intensity, by far the strongest on record for this region, I think Laura's the new benchmark for this part of the United States," he said. An aerial view of the area appears to show roofs ripped off their homes and walls that collapsed. The storm is expected to further weaken as it moves quickly inland over Louisiana, with hurricane force winds extending out 60 miles from the center. It has taken the lead in operational coordination for the federal interagency response to the coronavirus pandemic. There are now 394,763  customers without power in both states, according to PowerOutage.US.Â. Louisiana officials are warning those who didn't evacuate from mandatory zones before Hurricane Laura hit that rescue efforts won't start until the surge has passed. You can watch a replay of KPRC 2′s live coverage of Hurricane Laura here. More than 317,000 of those customers are in Louisiana, while more than 77,000 are in Texas. For more updates on Laura, be sure to follow our coverage of the storm. Hurricane Laura's strong winds brought down the South's Defenders monument in Lake Charles, La. At least six people have died in Louisiana due to Hurricane Laura. Poll ; Watch Live. Josh Morgerman, a hurricane chaser currently in Sulphur, Louisiana, told CNN that Hurricane Laura was going to "become the new benchmark storm for this region of the United States.". Further weakening will continue, and Laura will likely become a tropical storm later today as it tracks from Louisiana into Arkansas. ET). The storm's center is forecast to move over Arkansas later Thursday night, then reach the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday and the mid-Atlantic states on Saturday. The Calcasieu Parish coroner later confirmed two other deaths: a 24-year-old man who died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator inside his home, and a male who drowned after their boat sank. The storm is blamed for at least six deaths in Louisiana. The Morgan City Police Department is seeking assistance in finding 16-year-old Yackelyn Gomez. Maximum winds are 150 mph, just below category 5 strength.Tropical storm force winds are now approaching the I-10 corridor in Louisiana. Power outages in Louisiana and Texas are climbing at a rapid pace this morning, after Hurricane Laura made landfall on the Gulf Coast. Storm winds from Hurricane Laura toppled a controversial confederate statue in Lake Charles, Louisiana Thursday morning. 7:03 a.m. Central and eastern Arkansas could see an additional 3 to 7 inches of rain from the storm, the hurricane center said. If you were directly impacted by Hurricane Laura and live in one of the 21 parishes designated for FEMA Individual Assistance and were receiving rental assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) prior to the hurricane, you should register with FEMA. Posted at 6:48 PM, Aug 25, 2020 . According to MCPD, she is considered to be a ‘missing-endangered’ juvenile. The Weather Channel and weather.com provide a national and local weather forecast for cities, as well as weather radar, report and hurricane coverage At least six deaths in Louisiana have been attributed to Laura, including a 14-year-old girl from Vernon Parish. The center, known as the eye of the hurricane, is currently 30 miles north of Lake Charles, Louisiana, and 50 miles northeast of Port Arthur, Texas. Laura, which slammed into the coast of Louisiana early Thursday with winds of 150 miles per hour, has weakened, with forecasters expecting the onetime hurricane to become a tropical depression overnight. Hurricane Laura live streaming coverage 12News in Beaumont, Texas is your source for Hurricane Laura updates. It is moving north-northwest at 15 mph. 2020-08-26T14:03:05Z. Hurricane Laura's strong winds brought down the South's Defenders monument in Lake Charles, La. Laura tied with a hurricane from more than 160 years ago for the strongest storm to hit Louisiana. ... LIVE UPDATES: Hurricane Laura weakens to Category 1 as storm moves further inland. Laura has weakened to a Category 3 hurricane, with winds now at 120 mph, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center.Â. Be sure and stay away from downed power lines, and report the outage to your provider. No evacuations during the storm,” she said. Â. Widespread flooding and wrecked, partially submerged buildings were seen in aerial Coast Guard video as a helicopter passed over a stretch of southwestern Louisiana hard hit after Hurricane Laura swept through the region Thursday. Track Hurricane Laura's path as it makes landfall on Texas and Louisiana. The highest water levels were seen to the right of the storm's center, over a wildlife refuge area, sparing the more densely populated areas in the region. Resident Tolor White, Jr, dozed off after working on a crossword puzzle, when he heard a loud noise a little before 1:15 a.m. When he crawled out from under his makeshift barricade -- two mattresses -- he saw the roof had been taken off by the wind. Get live updates and the latest news on Hurricane Laura from NBC. **All live cameras that we were linking to earlier have ceased. The Associated Press Staff. Live: Raphael James talks with Chief Meteorologist Bill Walsh about the latest on Hurricane Laura. KATC will be covering the effects and aftermath of Hurricane Laura. Damage has been reported this morning at CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital in Lake Charles. Â. “At this time, we know we have sustained damage to the facility, but are waiting until the morning to get a clear picture,” hospital spokeswoman Heather Hidalgo tells CNN. (KPLC/AP) - Hurricane Laura made landfall in southwestern Louisiana as a ferocious Category 4 monster early Thursday, swamping a low-lying … WATCH LIVE: Coverage of Hurricane Laura. Mobile users click here. The small community of Cameron is near where Laura made landfall early Thursday as a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph at around 1 a.m. local time. Federal forecasters estimated its maximum sustained winds at 50 mph. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network. By Thursday night, maximum sustained winds dropped to 35 mph, according to the hurricane center. Where it's heading next: The storm is expected to continue moving across southwestern Louisiana in the early hours of the morning, then continue northward across the state through Thursday afternoon. Show Clips. Here's the latest on Hurricane Laura. A vote of 10-4 allowed the statue to remain standing, but storm winds caused the statue of a Confederate soldier to fall from its pedestal onto the ground below. At 7 a.m., the center of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 31.2 North, longitude 93.3 West. Hurricane Laura is a major hurricane that's forecast to bring 20 or more feet of storm surge into Louisiana. It's also responsible for the federal response for hurricane preparedness and recovery. Central and northern Arkansas could see an additional 3 to 6 inches of rain. The statue has stood in Lake Charles since 1915. The death toll was expected to rise as search crews continue to check hard-hit areas. We'll be live across all platforms before, during and after the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved an emergency declaration for all Arkansas counties, which will allow for federal aid, Gov. Follow below for the latest news on Hurricane Laura. From CNN's Leyla Santiago and Priscilla Alvarez. The hurricane is a Category 4 and steady weakening is now expected through the morning hours. Hurricane Laura made landfall overnight, bringing “catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding” to portions of … A tropical depression would mean winds have decreased to a maximum of 38 mph. It was moving north at 15 mph. Hurricane Laura is a Category 4 storm with "unsurvivable storm surge" expected in some areas, according to the National Weather Service. Contact. WATCH: Live Coverage of Hurricane Laura from Lake Charles, LA By Live 5 Web Staff | August 27, 2020 at 7:48 AM EDT - Updated August 27 at 9:56 AM LAKE CHARLES, La. As he was surveying the damage, the glass windows broke directly next to him. The storm on Thursday afternoon was located about 80 miles northeast of Shreveport, headed north-northeast at 15 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. and last updated 2020-08-27 12:58:41-04. ET, August 27, 2020 It's just past 5 a.m. in Louisiana. This is an animation of GOES-16 Rapid Scan infrared images every minute since yesterday afternoon showing Hurricane #Laura making landfall and weakening rapidly over Louisiana. Live: Watch coverage of Hurricane Laura from Lake Charles, LA The most intense hurricane to hit Louisiana in more than a century has left at least six people dead, hundreds of thousands of people without power and an untold number of homes and buildings in ruins. Download the NBC News app for latest updates on Hurricane Laura. The fate of the South's Defenders Memorial Monument, which stood on the grounds of the county courthouse, was voted on by the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury two weeks ago. Live coverage of Hurricane Laura as storm batters Gulf Coast. Flash flood warnings or watches covered the central and northeastern parts of the state, according to the National Weather Service. Hurricane Laura: Watch live continuing coverage . Laura is expected to weaken to a tropical depression Thursday night. The governor of Arkansas Thursday evening warned of likely flash flooding as now-Tropical Storm Laura pushed north through the state, and said that more than 50,000 were without power. ... 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. It was moving north at 15 mph. The tropical depression is forecast to move over Arkansas on Thursday night, and then onto the mid-Mississippi Valley on Friday and to the mid-Atlantic states Saturday, according to the hurricane center, Saturday it will become a "remnant low-pressure system," and later this weekend it will become an "extratropical low.". Laura, which was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds, was expected to weaken to a tropical depression overnight as it moves across Arkansas, the National Hurricane Center said. By Mediaite Staff Aug 27th, 2020, 12:26 am . powered by. While the agency is equipped to help with a range of disasters, Hurricane Laura is likely to present its own set of challenges. Live Coverage: Hurricane Laura. The video is from a Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter that flew along Highway 82 between White Lake and Cameron along Louisiana's southwest coast. But Thursday evening it was still bringing potentially flooding rainfall and powerful winds to parts of Arkansas as it moved north. Parts of the region are forecast to see "catastrophic wind damage," according to the National Hurricane Center. Please enable JavaScript for a better experience. By: KATC News. The governor warned people to not drive into water, noting that it only takes 6 inches of water to knock someone from their feet. Sulphur lies just west of Lake Charles, where the eye of the hurricane is passing over. Laura was downgraded to a tropical storm Thursday afternoon, after making landfall in Louisiana near the Texas border overnight as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph. UPDATE: KPRC 2 has removed the embedded camera feeds at the owner’s request. The eye of category 4 Hurricane Laura is 95 miles from Lake Charles and 95 miles from Port Arthur.