The National Weather Service issued a chilling warning for those in the path of Hurricane Laura as it headed toward battering the Gulf Coast on Thursday.
“Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage,” across a 150-mile stretch of Texas and Louisiana, the agency said in a public advisory issued on Wednesday.
That had many wondering: What does it take for a storm surge to be “unsurvivable?”
The Weather Channel stepped in with some answers via its computer simulation.
“When you have that storm surge rise up to three feet, it’s too late to evacuate,” the network’s hurricane specialist, Greg Postel, said early in the demonstration. “You need to shelter in place.”
And it only gets worse from there:
The network also showed what it would look like on a more suburban street:
As the storm hits land, the National Weather Service is continuing to urge those in its path to take immediate precautions, warning of high winds akin to a tornado in addition to the storm surge:
Officials also warned those sheltering at home to have tools in the attic in case they need to break out through the roof in the event of a flood.
“If you do need to get to higher ground, you may want to consider tools in the event that you have to get in your attic, and you may have to cut your way out of there before we can get to you the next day,” Louisiana National Guard Brigadier General Keith Waddell told The Weather Channel.