Delta struck Louisiana just weeks after Hurricane Laura hit | The NY Journal

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Dan Anderson / Courtesy

Delta made landfall Friday afternoon in Louisiana, a state barely recovering from the Hurricane Laura, and faced during the day a storm surge accompanied by strong winds, rain, floods and power outages. During the early morning it weakened and degraded to a tropical storm.

The cyclone, the fourth to land in the state this hurricane season, made landfall as a Category 2 at 6:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) near the town of Creole, with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour (165 kilometers per hour), according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). According to the latest NHC report, the storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour (75 kilometers per hour).

After Delta’s arrival, at least 650,000 homes and businesses were without power in Louisiana and Texas, according to the specialized portal PowerOutage.com. Mississippi suffered around 45,000 blackouts.

We just lost power here in Sweet Lake. This wind is pretty serious. Our generator kicked on, so we’re in good shape for now. Volume up if you want to know what #HurricaneDelta sounds like. #Delta # hurricaneseason2020 pic.twitter.com/i1XNk5nMX1

– Will Precht (@will_precht) October 9, 2020

A National Weather Service water level gauge at Freshwater Canal Locks reported storm surge flooding of up to eight feet (2.5 meters) in the area, according to the NHC.

The meteorological phenomenon ripped off roofs and scattered debris across roads, hitting communities still recovering from Laura, who swept through the area just six weeks ago.

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Delta made landfall just 15 miles (24 kilometers) from where Laura made it in August, killing 27 people in Louisiana. The previous storm damaged nearly every home and building in Lake Charles.

Mayor Nic Hunter said tarps were flying from houses throughout the city. “I’m in a building with a tarp and just its flapping sound sounds like someone is hitting the top with a mallet. It’s pretty intense, ”Hunter told the AP while.

In Lake Charles, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) inland from where Delta made landfall, water leaked through the ceiling of Ernest Jack’s bedroom as he tried to sleep on Friday night.

Jack recounted that the tarp covering Laura’s damage to the roof had not come off. Their windows were covered to protect themselves from flying debris. “It is raining very hard. But I’m fine. I’m not worried about anything, I just pray that everything goes well, “the resident told AP.

In the town of Lake Arthur, Delta winds peeled the tiles off the roof of L’Banca Albergo Hotel, an eight-room boutique hotel in what used to be a bank. “I probably won’t have a tile left on the roof,” owner Roberta Palermo said as the wind blew outside.

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Palermo said there was no electricity and that he could see pieces of metal sticking out of the roof of a 100-year-old building across the street. Trash cans not secured to the ground or to a pole were flying through the streets.

Delta’s range extended as far west of Galveston, Texas, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where the storm hit Louisiana. Two houses under construction were toppled by the winds, as were some trees and signs in the area.

Hurricane #Delta eye wall from Lake Arthur @RadarOmega_WX go pic.twitter.com/xDRNHniTY6

– Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) October 9, 2020

Delta becomes the fourth hurricane to hit this state so far this season, after receiving the tropical storms Cristóbal and Marco, and in August the powerful hurricane Laura, category 4, and whose damage is still visible.

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Delta comes when at least 6,300 people are still kept in hostels and hotels as a result of Laura. The state governor announced that they have an agreement with 40 hotels to house those who are under an evacuation order.

The governor declared that, according to plan, people will not be in shelters for more than 24 hours. Those who are able to return home this Saturday will do so and those who are not, will be able to stay in hotels.

Delta arrived in the United States after hitting Mexico last Wednesday as a Category 2 hurricane just south of the resort city of Cancun, leaving a quarter of a million customers without power.

With information from EFE and AP.