Laura weakens to Tropical Depression; will affect Shore Saturday

One of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. pounded the Gulf Coast with wind and rain Thursday as Laura roared ashore in Louisiana near the Texas border, unleashing a fearsome wall of seawater and killing at least two people.

Louisiana took the brunt of the damage when the Category 4 system barreled over Lake Charles, an industrial and casino city of 80,000 people. Laura’s powerful gusts blew out windows in tall buildings and tossed around glass and debris. Police spotted a floating casino that came unmoored and hit a bridge.

Forecasters expected a weakened Laura to cause widespread flash flooding in states far from the coast. Little Rock, Arkansas, expected gusts of 50 mph (80 kph) and a deluge of rain through Friday.

As of now, Laura is expected to begin to affect the Eastern Shore of Virginia Saturday afternoon and evening. Right now the National Hurricane Center predicts winds for the Eastern Shore to gust to around 25 mph and less than one inch of rain.

The storm, now officially a Tropical Depression, was so powerful that it could regain strength after reaching the Atlantic Ocean, potentially threatening the densely populated Northeast.

While not expected to be a major event for the Eastern Shore, it is important to be prepared. Visit the A&N Electric Cooperative Hurricane Preparedness Guide at ShoreDailyNews.com or pick up the paper version at several area local businesses.

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