About three days ago a tropical system was supposed to make landfall near the area as a mild Category 1 hurricane (no big deal). About thirty hours ago Hurricane Laura was projected to make landfall as a major Category 3 (cat 3) hurricane on the Scale (a big deal). The people had no time to prepare and a massive mandatory costal evacuation was ordered wisely by the governors of Texas and Louisiana. The main highways heading away from the Gulf of Mexico were packed with vehicles making good their escape from disaster while the getting was good...in multiple traffic jams from hell! Since many people will not get a chance to evacuate, I feel the some people from Texas, and many more people in Louisiana will perish. Cuz of the rotation of the Earth, in the Northern Hemisphere hurricanes will have all its worst effects on the East side...Louisiana.
As of nine AM Central Time Aug 26, I watched AccuWeather and shot pics from their broadcast. Hurricane Laura was projected to a cat 4; and it is uncertain if the brief time near the coastal wind sheer will lower Laura to a cat 3 by landfall in
Beaumont, Texas . Hurricane Laura was projected to follow the state line before heading ENE. (Apparently the wind sheer ended and Laura grew stronger.)
Yesterday I made a call to the City of Nacogdoches Police Department and asked if the only gasoline pump in Nacogdoches (by the Police Department) still had gasoline for emergency generators; and their reply was negative.
Today I made a run into town with two empty plastic gasoline cans. On North University Drive I made my stop at the only gasoline station in Nacogdoches that gives out free water and tire air; and filled up Old Blue and a five gallon can with gasoline for my truck. Then I circled the North Loop 224 to Lowes and got one of their few remaining half gallon cans of of mixed fuel for my chainsaw. Then I circled the loop 224 Westbound and made my exit Eastbound on TX Hwy 21 (West Main Street) and stopped at the only gasoline pump, in my area that has gasoline; and lucked out as they got more of that hard to find fuel for my generator. I filled up my 2.5 gallon can with
the generator fuel, to use with my existing five gallon fuel can for my generator fuel. The nice man wearing the cowboy hat asked if he could shoot Old Blue with his cell phone and I was happy to say yes.
Then I found another route by the railroad tracks to get to the other side of the Nacogdoches Square to a residence where I use the internet.
Around one AM CT August 27 Hurricane Laura made landfall as a major cat 4 in Cameron, Louisiana (small town). Laura went NE of its projected path to the City of Lake Charles (still a lesser cat 4). Lake Charles is only a few feet above sea level, and Laura devested the city. Then tropical storm Laura hit Shreveport, Louisiana, around noon, and proceeded up to Northern Arkansas turning into a tropical depression that evening.
Laura passed through Mississippi River basin then the Ohio River basin dumping much rain that can be measured by the cubic mile of water. Most of the rain water would make it down the Mississippi River and endanger the good people in Baton Rouge then New Orleans, Louisiana. Federal and State money over
Since Hurricane Laura passed a little East from its projected path she missed much of Texas. (I just got an half inch of much needed rain.) One man in Eastern Shelby County died when a pine tree landed on his single wide mobile home. Three fishermen died from Carbon Monoxide poisoning at a pub in Port Arthur...maybe from a portable generator.
Louisiana only had around fifteen fatalities cuz the people evacuated in time. To show how powerful Laura was, a mile long freight train was knocked over just South of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
to our Federal, State, and local governments in handling this emergency evacuations as there were very few fatalities in this disaster where large cities went under water.
