Hurricane Delta has strengthened to Category 3 and is taking aim on southwestern Louisiana, roughly between Lake Charles and Morgan City. Tropical storm force wind is already being felt along this area and it will get progressively worse as this dangerous storm approaches the coast and makes landfall close to sunset, Friday, October 9.
Emergency evacuation orders are in effect and local Emergency Management officials are warning of a destructive, deadly storm surge, winds gusting to near 130 MPH near the eye of the storm, heavy rainfall with flash flooding and some tornadoes. This is an especially dangerous situation because of the stacks of debris left over along streets from Named Storm Laura a month ago, that will be picked up by the winds of Delta and hurled about as missiles causing even more damage in the region.
As of 4:45 AM local time Friday, October 9, the time left to evacuate is quickly diminishing. Once trees and debris start to clutter roadways, evacuation will be impossible. This is a deadly storm and should not be taken lightly.
Please visit the National Hurricane Center website for official news and advisories.
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“These are not official advisories. These updates and advisories are based upon information from our own computer models, NOAA, Local Weather Data Centers, deep water Buoy Data, and other publicly available sources. FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR PROPERTY AND PERSON, please refer to your Local, State, and Federal Authority updates for Official Advisories and Orders. For up to the minute advisories and official updates, it is essential that you monitor your local Emergency Government, NOAA and Local Media Broadcasts. Please do not make personal safety decisions based upon information presented here.”
Tropical Storm Research Center, Gulf Shores, Alabama
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