Hurricane Laura made landfall early Thursday in southwestern Louisiana as one of the most powerful storms to hit the state, with forecasters warning it could push a massive wall of water 40 miles inland from the sea.
Laura made landfall packing winds of 150 miles per hour in the small town of Cameron, Louisiana, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
The area in the direct path of Laura is home to about 4 million people, but officials said most had left for safer areas under evacuation orders. Sheriffs, police officers and other authorities said it would be several hours before they could safely venture out to begin search and rescue operations.
Hurricane-strength winds could blow as far as 200 miles inland to Shreveport, Louisiana, forecasters said.
The oil-refining town of Port Arthur was just west of where Laura made landfall. The city of 54,000 was a ghost town late Wednesday, with just a couple of gas stations and a liquor store open for business.
“People need their vodka,” said Janaka Balasooriya, a cashier, who said he lived a few blocks away and would ride out the storm at home.
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