Officials are warning of severe weather and sustained power outages as Hurricane Laura begins to make landfall and move inland.
Union County is currently under a Tropical Storm Warning, and severe weather, including strong winds and thunderstorms, is expected to continue into the weekend, said Aaron Stevens, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Shreveport office.
“There’s a big hurricane that’s going to come on shore, and you guys are going to see a lot of wind and rain from it,” Stevens said. “You’re kind of right on the edge. The arrival of tropical storm winds is going to be Thursday morning, probably between 4 and 8 a.m. … 35 to 45 mile-per-hour winds, and those are sustained; occasionally it’ll go higher than that. That’s going to continue for quite a while as that storm continues to move north.”
The total rainfall for Union County was forecast to be between four and six inches throughout the stormy period, which Stevens said could continue through Saturday. According to the NWS, thunderstorms will likely begin Wednesday evening and tropical storm conditions will continue throughout the day Thursday.
By Wednesday afternoon, while Hurricane Laura hadn’t quite made landfall yet, severe weather was already starting along the southern United States coast, Stevens said.
“We’re already starting to see (storm) bands, we’re already in a tornado watch, so that part has started now, ahead of the storm. The threat won’t end until the storm pulls through,” Stevens said. “We don’t know what’s going to happen once the other end of the storm hits land, it’s very difficult to tell.”
“You’re definitely going to have issues Thursday into Thursday night, and you’re probably going to have issues on Friday,” he added.
Stevens said Union County residents should be prepared for power outages that could potentially extend over a period of days.
“Make sure you’ve got your supplies on hand: water and some food that doesn’t have to be cooked, some shelf-stable stuff,” Stevens said. He noted that gas-powered generators should not be brought inside one’s home.
“We get a lot of people that die from carbon monoxide poisoning; they bring the generator and set it up in their living rooms and then kill themselves with the carbon monoxide,” Stevens said. “Keep your generators outside.”
Chris Wasson, customer service representative for Entergy, said the company has a plan in place to handle power outages that occur in Union County. While two workers have been sent to assist with restoration efforts in Louisiana when power outages inevitably begin there, he said Union County is still well-staffed.
El Dorado Fire Chief said the county also has other resources for those who need them, particularly from faith-based organizations.
“What comes to mind are some of the churches here in town that have food pantries and things like that they can make available for people if food becomes in short supply, and then of course the Salvation Army. And the American Red Cross has a local unit, they have some emergency response capabilities as well,” Mosby said. “In a time of emergency or disaster, we routinely rely on our faith-based organizations like churches and the non-governmental organizations like the Salvation Army and Red Cross.”
The EFD stands ready to respond to potential needs of the community during the storm, Mosby said, and mutual aid agreements are in place with other fire departments and first responders in the county and region.
Mosby warned that should residents come across water covering the roadway, it is best to remember the phrase "turn around, don’t drown."
“If you come to high water in the roadway, particularly moving water, don’t try to drive through it. If you can go around, go around,” he said. “It’s best not to even go through that water. Moving water at only two inches can move a car off the roadway, depending on how much it’s moving, so in most cases, it’s not worth the risk to go after it.”
He also said if residents see a downed power line, they should consider it to be live.
“Any time you have power outages with downed trees, there’s a greater risk for electrocution, because the powerlines will typically be intermingled in those tree limbs,” Mosby said. “Leave that to the people with the professionals. Even we treat all power lines as live until the folks from Entergy get out there to turn the power off.”
Stevens said local residents should bring inside any outdoor furniture or other items in their yards that aren’t attached to the ground.
“Stay away from windows, bring in all your stuff that can fly around, because with these winds, lawn furniture becomes window-smashers,” Stevens said. “Batten down the hatches and get ready.”
The News-Times will provide updates as possible as the storm rolls in. Visit eldoradonews.com for updates.