Hurricane Laura - Huge chemical fire spews toxic chlorine gas over Louisiana and at least four dead as Mike Pence is blasted for empty offer of prayers
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Your support makes all the difference.Hurricane Laura strengthened into a Category 4 storm before it made landfall in Louisiana early on Thursday.
The storm arrived with sustained 150mph winds, and officials had warned it would bring an "unsurvivable" storm surge as high as 20ft for coastal areas.
Authorities had urged residents on the coast to evacuate, but not everyone did before the storm hit.
Four fatalities have been reported, including a 14-year-old girl. More than 825,000 homes and businesses are without power.
A fire is burning at a chemical plant near the city of Westlake, with the governor of Louisiana instructing people to stay indoors and turn off their air conditioning.
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Trump attends FEMA meeting
President Trump attended a meeting at FEMA this afternoon to discuss the response to Hurricane Laura. He said that all Americans are thinking of people in affected states adding: “It went very deep into the country.”
Acknowledging that while initial reports are not as bad as predicted, the government is “still learning” about damage. He said that the federal government will be “very aggressive” in getting things back.
The president, his arms folded at the head of the table, was given an overview of the storm, from landfall to present. A large video screen showed the path.
FEMA Administrator Gaynor described the response as a “whole of government” approach. The FEMA team showed pictures from the field, showing buildings with roofs ripped off and bricks from a building spilled on a street, downed trees, and the fire at the chemical plant in Lake Charles.
“It’s amazing,” Trump said.
Administrator Gaynor urged people to stay safe and don’t go out unless necessary: “Stay home and pay attention to the warnings...please don’t go out sightseeing.” After hurricanes there is a danger that debris may contain live electrical wires.
Vice president Pence, also in attendance said: “This was a serious storm … We were ready for the worst. ... it was not as bad as it could have been.”
He added that he grieves the loss of the young girl confirmed as the first victim and thanked responders.
With reporting from the White House Press Pool
Why was Eric Trump at the FEMA meeting?
Many people are asking: Why was the president's second eldest son standing on the sidelines of the FEMA meeting?
Paula Reid of CBS noted it on Twitter, as did the White House Pool report.
The Recount said that he didn't even appear to know why he was there.
President to visit Louisiana at the weekend
President Trump concluded the meeting saying that: “We’ll be going Saturday or Sunday,” referring to the damaged areas.
He added that he considered postponing his speech tonight but will go ahead with it.
Flashback: Two days after the official start of hurricane season on 1 June, first lady Melania Trump visited FEMA for a briefing on hurricane preparedness.
Some of the images of the damage in Lake Charles look more akin to an earthquake such was the strength of the storm when it hit.
Fourth death confirmed in Louisiana
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said state officials now know of four deaths tied to Hurricane Laura.
The deaths were all caused by trees falling on residences, Gov Edwards said. None were on the coast, having happened in Vernon, Jackson and Acadia parishes. One death in Jackson in north Louisiana demonstrated the power of the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 storm early on Thursday, and traveled farther inland.
Mr Edwards said the current priority is search and rescue, followed by efforts to find hotel or motel rooms for those who have lost their homes.
Hotel rooms are needed because conventional communal shelters pose a risk for spreading the coronavirus, he said.
Edwards said storm surge was measured in the range of 9 feet to 12 feet (2.7 to 3.7 metres) — bad but far less than the 20 feet (6 meters) that had been forecast. He said that has led him to hope that there will be less water damage to homes close to the coast, and that damaged homes can be made habitable more quickly.
Associated Press
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