Hurricane Laura strikes Louisiana as Category 4 storm, battering Lake Charles area and bringing flood threat

Lake Charles, La., had issued mandatory evacuations on Wednesday. There was major damage to buildings in the city’s downtown area, which endured the brunt of the storm’s eyewall.

A suspected chemical cloud emanating from an industrial area along the highway has shut down Interstate 10 outside of Lake Charles and has led to a shelter-in-place order in Sulphur, La., where authorities are warning people to stay indoors with their windows closed. Authorities said the fire was at a plant that makes chlorine-based products.

Laura’s rate of intensification between Tuesday and Wednesday tied for the fastest on record in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Hurricane Center said storm surge inundation could be “unsurvivable,” affecting areas up 40 miles inland from the coast in southwest Louisiana and that floodwaters may not fully recede for several days after the storm. As of 5 a.m., a surge over 9 feet had been observed in parts of coastal southwest Louisiana.