‘It is not over for us.’ Cat 4 Hurricane Laura could bring tornadoes across Mississippi
Mississippians should brace for heavy rainfall, flash-flooding, tornadoes and storm-surge on the Gulf Coast as Category 4 Hurricane Laura heads for landfall Wednesday night along the Texas-Louisiana border.
“This has been a very stressful situation for a lot of folks with a storm this strong,” Greg Michel, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
“I can not emphasize enough for folks in Mississippi to pay attention to the weather. It is not over for us.”
He said Laura’s path is very similar to Hurricane Rita’s in September 2005, when Mississippi had one of its largest outbreak of tornadoes, with the Jackson metro area hit hard.
“We’re going to have wind bands and rain bands almost encircling the state,” he said.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency Saturday, when both Marco and Laura were intensifying tropical storms. Marco, briefly a hurricane, has dissipated off Louisiana’s coast.
“It’s been a nail-biter since that day watching these two storms,” Michel said.
“. . . Our hearts go out to to the folks in Louisiana and Texas who are affected by this storm track.
“Mississippi is certainly not out of the woods.”
He said the state deployed a search-and-rescue team Wednesday afternoon to Baton Rouge to assist with high-water rescues and also is sending a K-9 search team. The Mississippi National Guard will provide aviation support when it is safe.
Storm shelters are open in Hancock, Jeff Davis and Marion counties and will be accepting Louisiana residents, if needed, with COVID-19 precautions in place.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 4:22 PM.
