NEW ORLEANS — During an interview with WWL Radio, Gov. John Bel. Edwards told the public the Interstate Highway 10, what most of Louisiana calls the I-10, has been closed in western Louisiana because of the effects of Hurricane Laura, a report said.
USA Today reporter Greg Hilburn, and Sam Karlin, a reporter for The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate both said Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the I-10 was closed on WWL Radio on Wednesday.
In another tweet, Karlin said, "this storm is making my hair stand up." He said that after hearing the governor describe reports on Hurricane Laura.
"I heard language today from the National Weather Service...that I’ve never heard before," Gov. John Bel Edwards said. "They’re thinking Cameron parish is going to look like an extension of the Gulf of Mexico for a couple of days."
A National Weather Service meteorologist in Lake Charles - in the bullseye of Laura's projected path - took to Facebook Live to deliver an urgent warning for people living south of Interstate 10:
"Your life will be in immediate and grave danger beginning this evening if you do not evacuate," Dave Jone said.
Hurricane Laura’s current path is similar to the path Hurricane Rita took in 2005 when the weakening category-3 storm ravaged the same area of the Gulf Coast.
Hurricane Rita produced 15-18 feet of storm surge in Cameron, La., although finding accurate measurements were daunting because so many structures near where the storm made landfall were completely destroyed.
Rita pushed water into Calcasieu Lake and Calcasieu River, reaching portions of the Lake Charles area. In several locations, the storm surge reached Interstate 10 which is located about 25 miles north from the Gulf Coast.
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