As a Category 2 storm, hurricane Delta made landfall about 6 p.m. near the town of Creole (southwestern Louisiana) with top winds of 100 mph (155 kph), pushing a storm surge that could reach up to 11 feet (3.4 meters), following along a path of destruction left by Hurricane Laura only six weeks earlier.
In the city of Lake Charles, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) inland from where Delta made landfall, rain pelted the tarp-covered roofs of buildings that Hurricane Laura battered when it barreled through in late August and killed at least 27 people in the state.
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Mayor Nic Hunter as he prepared to ride out the storm in downtown Lake Charles said:
“It’s devastating and it’s emotional for the citizenry,”
Delta, the first hurricane named after a Letter of the Greek Alphabet, weakened to a Category 2 storm with maximum winds of 100 mph (169 km/h) Friday evening. Forecasters reported 7 feet of storm surge east of Cameron, a sparely populated coastal community devastated by 2005′s Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ike in 2008, and warned that some areas could see water reach 11 feet along the Louisiana coast.
Hurricane #Delta makes landfall near Creole, Louisiana, at 6:00 PM CDT as a category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Damaging winds and a life-threatening storm surge continue over portions of southern Louisiana. Latest at: https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/Lamsumc50Z
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 9, 2020
In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves declared a state of emergency, as did his counterpart Edwards in Louisiana. Forecasters said southern Mississippi could see heavy rain and flash flooding.
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Sources: – cnbc – CBS – FOX News – National Hurricane Center –
