CAT 4 Hurricane Laura To Inflict “Unsurvivable Storm Surge” On US Gulf Coast

When Hurricane Katrina decimated New Orleans in 2005, it made landfall as a Category 5 storm, with sustained winds of over 175 mph. 

Today, in fact at this very moment, the other side of Louisiana, plus parts of southeast Texas, are being impaled by the full force of Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 140+ mph. 

Expert opinions on the topic point to unmitigated destruction. 

From the NOAA Hurricane center:

“Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. This surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline. Only a few hours remain to protect life and property and all actions should be rushed to completion.”

That was several hours ago. By the time you’re reading this, Laura has already made landfall, and we can only hope that the inhabitants of these Gulf coast regions have done everything possible to secure themselves and their homes for what’s bound to be a few miserable days, months, potentially years. 

Not what you want to see.

Ultimately, the storm system is set to penetrate the US mainland and veer northeast, potentially reaching as far as Pennsylvania or Virginia before completely dissipating. 

Hurricanes feed on warm water, so Laura will deteriorate as she strays from the coast, but plenty of damage can still be done even without a direct energy source. 

It should also be noted that experts have called for this to be an exceptionally active Atlantic hurricane season, thanks to high ocean temperatures from Africa to the Americas and a number of subsequent factors. 

Those who skew sociopathic might be wondering what Laura is producing in terms of surf. While there are surfable waves to be found in Florida, Southern Texas, and likely parts of Mexico, we’ve yet to see anything worth noting 

We have spoken with the Lopez bros, who are hunting surf in the Florida Panhandle. “It’s kinda fun,” they said, “but not really worth the mission.” 

Laura’s destruction, sadly, will have no silver lining.