ARTHUR AS WE CONTINUE OUR
COVERAGE.
>> GOOD MORNING.
IF YOU ARE JUST WAKING UP WITH
US, WE HAVE SEEN HURRICANE LAURA
COME ASHORE, REALLY COVERING THE
AREA BETWEEN THE LAKE CHARLES
OUT IN EACH DIRECTION NEAR THE
TEXAS-LOUISIANA BORDER.
WE DO HAVE CREWS COVERING THIS
STORY FROM ALL OVER THE PLACE,
REALLY FROM GALVESTON ALL THE
WAY TO LAKE CHARLES.
>> SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE
VIDEO WE’VE SEEN THIS MORNING
FROM THAT OVERNIGHT ACTIVITY WAS
IN LAKE CHARLESMENT WE WANT TO
CHECK IN WITH CHANNEL 2’S ROBERT
ARNOLD.
WE CAUGHT SOME FROM THE 1 A.M.
HIT WITH US.
IT WAS INCREDIBLE WHAT YOU ARE
TRYING TO STAND UP IN.
WHAT ARE CONDITIONS LIKE NOW
COMPARED TO OVERNIGHT?
>> Reporter: ON MARKEDLY
BETTER.
WE’RE GETTING INCREDIBLY STRONG
WINDS, ALTHOUGH THEY ARE NOT
QUITE AS BRUTAL AS THEY WERE.
I CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE DAMAGE
DONE TO THE AREA BECAUSE OF THE
WINDS.
WE CAN’T SEE MUCH FROM WHERE WE
ARE.
POWER IS OUT TO THE AREA BUT
JUST FROM WHERE WE’RE STANDING,
WE’VE SEEN TREES DOWN AND BITS
AND CHUNKS.
IF YOU LOOK OVER HERE, BITS AND
CHUNKS OF SIGNS AND SOME OTHER
DEBRIS HAVE BEEN FLYING THROUGH
HERE.
THAT’S CALMED DOWN ONLY
SLIGHTLY.
THE HOTEL PLACED LARGE UMBRELLAS
IN THE GARAGE TO KEEP THEM OUT
OF THE WIND.
VERY SMART MOVE.
IF THEY’RE OUT IN THE OPEN, THE
WIND WILL PICK THEM UP AND TOSS
THEM AROUND.
IT STILL TOSSED THEM AROUND.
IT’S RIPPED DOWN SEVERAL SIGNS.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS WE’VE
BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT THE MOST.
IT TWISTED THESE UP.
THESE SIGNS WERE ON HEAVY, THICK
CABLE IN CHAINS.
SORRY ABOUT THAT.
MY CABLE WIRE GOT A LITTLE
TANGLED THERE AND IT’S TANGLED
THEM UP.
IT’S RIPPED SIGNS DOWN.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS WE
WERE CONCERNED ABOUT THROUGHOUT
THE NIGHT AND THE MORNING WITH
THE SIGNS FLYING IN OUR
DIRECTION, MOST OF THEM HAVE
GONE DOWN.
THE OTHER ONES NOW ARE JUST
HANGING BY THE ONE SIDE.
THANKFULLY THE WINDS HAVE DIED
DOWN ENOUGH WHERE THAT’S NOT
MUCH OF A CONCERN ANYMORE.
WE SAW SOME OF THE SIGNS THAT
POINT DIRECTIONS WITHIN THE
GARAGE COME FLYING THROUGH THE
AREA AND THAT HAS BEEN ONE OF
THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES IS
AVOIDING THAT DEBRIS THAT THIS
WIND IS JUST -- THESE BRUTAL
RELENTLESS WINDS HAVE BEEN
EVERYWHERE.
WE’RE ON BACKUP GENERATE OR THE
POWER.
AT LEAST WE HAVE SOME LIGHT IN
THE GARAGE.
WE CAN’T SEE ELECTRICITY
ANYWHERE ON THE PERIMETERS.
ANYTHING BEYOND THAT.
I DID HEAR KHAMBREL MARSHALL
MENTION THE STORM SURGE
PROJECTIONS WERE NOT AS HIGH AS
WE THOUGHT.
WE ARE SURROUNDED WHERE WE ARE.
YOU’VE GOT LAKE CHARLES, THE
CALCASIEU RIVER, THE BAYOUS AND
TRIBUTARIES ALL EXPECTED TO COME
OUT OF THEIR BANKS.
OUT IN THE PARKING LOT, WE’RE
SEEING IF ANY OF THE WATER IS
COMING INTO THE PARKING LOT, I
HAVE NOT SEEN THAT YET.
THAT IS ONE PIECE OF GOOD NEWS.
INSIDE BASEBALL FOR THE PEOPLE
AT HOME BUT THE WAY I LISTEN TO
YOU IS THROUGH THE CELLPHONE AND
I NOTICE MY CALL HAS DROPPED.
I DON’T KNOW IF YOU ARE STILL
HEARING ME BUT I NEED TO REDIAL.
IF YOU HAD A QUESTION FOR ME,
GIVE ME A SECOND, LET ME TRY AND
REDIAL.
BACK TO YOU RIGHT NOW.
>> THANK YOU, ROBERT ARNOLD.
WE DO APPRECIATE IT.
COMMUNICATION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
WE’LL LET ROBERT DIAL BK IN SO
WE CAN SPEAK WITH EACH OTHER.
THIS IS WHAT ROBERT WENT THROUGH
JUST A FEW HOURS AGO.
THIS WAS THE NORTH SIDE OF OF TH
EYE WALL THAT CAME ASHORE, THE
SIDE WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS.
>> INCREDIBLE.
THESE ARE IMAGES FROM 1:00 THIS
MORNING.
THIS THING MADE LANDFALL IN
CAMERON, LOUISIANA.
WHAT WAS THE TIME OF THE
LANDFALL?
THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE IN
LAKE CHARLES AND ROBERT ARNOLD
WAS TRYING TO STAND UP IN ALL OF
THE ACTIVITY.
COULD BARELY DO IT.
TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF A BREAK.
HE’S BACK WITH US LIVE ONCE
AGAIN.
HE’S DIALED IN.
SORRY, GO AHEAD.
>> Reporter: I APOLOGIZE FOR
THAT.
CELL SERVICE IS SO CRUCIAL TO
WHAT WE DO OUT HERE.
WHEN THAT GETS BAD, WE’RE KIND
OF DEAD IN THE WATER WITHOUT THE
CELL SERVICE.
I APOLOGIZE FOR THE INTERRUPTION.
FORTUNATELY WE HAVE NOT SEEN THE
SURGE COME IN LIKE WE THOUGHT IT
WOULD.
THE WINDS AS I SAID ABOUT THE
BEGINNING OF THE REPORT, I
SHUDDER TO THINK ABOUT THE
DAMAGE ONCE THIS IS DONE.
WE’LL GO BACK THIS WAY AS I WAS
SHOWING YOU EARLIER.
THE WIND FROM THE HURRICANES
ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU HAVE WINDS
THIS STRONG FOR SO MANY HOURS IT
KEEPS WORKING AND WORKING UNTIL
IT WILL WRENCH ANYTHING IT CAN
TO PRY IT OFF THE SIDE LIKE
THIS.
ALL THE SIDING HAS COME OFF A
BIT, ALL THE SIGNS WRENCHED OFF
THE CABLES HOLDING THEM INTO THE
CEILINGMENT WE’VE SEEN TREES GO
DOWN.
THAT STARTED HAPPENING VERY
EARLY ON BECAUSE AS THE GROUND
BECAME SATURATED AND WET AND
REALLY STRONG WINDS CAME IN,
THOSE TREES STARTED GOING DOWN
QUICKLY.
IT’S BEEN DIFFICULT FOR US TO
GET OUT AND DO MUCH MORE OF A
SURVEY BECAUSE IT’S HARD FOR US
TO SEE WITH NO ELECTRICITY AT
THIS POINT SO WE’RE WAITING FOR
A LITTLE BIT MORE LIGHT BEFORE
WE CAN SURVEY A WIDER AREA BUT
EVEN AS BAD AS THESE WINDS ARE
NOW, THEY’RE A FAR CRY BETTER
THAN THEY WERE ABOUT THREE HOURS
AGO.
>> AT THIS POINT, ROBERT,
KHAMBREL HAS BEEN TELLING US
THIS IS THE SOUTHERN EYE WALL
YOU ARE FEELING RIGHT NOW.
OBVIOUSLY THE COMPARISON IS
MUCH, MUCH DIFFERENT, I THINK I
THINK WHAT’S GOING TO BE
INTERESTING TO SEE, THE STORM
SURGE PROJECTION IS MAYBE NOT AS
BAD AS WHAT YOU THOUGHT
INITIALLY.
ANYTHING IN THE POSITIVE
DIRECTION IS GOOD BUT IT WILL BE
INTERESTING TO SEE THE FOLKS
LIVING ALONG THE CALCASIEU
RIVER, THE SEE IF THE WINDS
PUSHED ANY OF THAT RIVER OR LAKE
WATER UP INTO THEIR PROPERTY.
>> YEAH, THE ONE THING THAT I
WAS SAYING THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT,
IT IS A GOOD THING THAT LAKE
CHARLES DID SEEM TO BE MOSTLY A
GHOST TOWN.
I MEAN, THE SHERIFF, THE
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT COORDINATOR
CONSTANTLY COMING OUT SAYING
PLEASE HEED THESE MANDATORY
EVACUATION WARNINGS BECAUSE WE
CAN’T GET TO YOU.
ONCE THE WINDS REACHED SUSTAINED
40 MILES PER HOUR, WE CAN’T GET
OUT TO GET TO YOU.
IF YOU GET IN TROUBLE AND YOU
ARE HURT, HELP IS NOT COMING
UNTIL LAURA HAS MOVED THROUGH
THE AREA.
A LOT OF HOMES ARE BOARDED UP.
A LOT OF PEOPLE TOOK ADVANTAGE
AND TRIED TO SANDBAG BECAUSE
WHEN YOU HAVE WINDS THIS STRONG,
IT’S ALMOST NOTHING THAT CAN
PREVENT THEM FROM CAUSING DAMAGE
THROUGH THE AREA.
THAT’S GOING TO BE ONE OF THE
AREAS WE’LL FIRST CHECK IS
IMMEDIATELY ALONG THE LAKE TO
SEE HOW THOSE HOMES FARED.
WE ALSO REALLY WANT TO GET INTO
CAMERON PARISH BECAUSE THAT’S
RIGHT ON THE GULF.
CAMERON PARISH IS SOUTH OF US
AND THAT’S WHERE THE STORM
REALLY FIRST CAME ASHORE AND
THAT’S WHERE WE’RE REALLY GOING
TO SEE WHAT KIND OF DAMAGE THE
STORM SURGE DID.
>> WE’RE STILL A FEW HOURS AWAY
FROM FIRST LIGHT.
DID YOU CATCH THE BREAK OF THE
EYEWALL?
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS THE
NEXT ONE.
KHAMBREL HAS BEEN TELLING US, IT
LOOKS LIKE THE WIND IS PICKING
UP THE LAST FEW MOMENTS WE’VE
BEEN CHATTING EVEN.
>> Reporter: IT DIE DOWN A
LITTLE BIT BUT WE DIDN’T GET
THAT PERFECT CALM.
I’VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT OF
STORMS AND I’VE ONLY GOT AN TRUE
EYE TWICE.
ONCE WAS DURING HURRICANE IKE IN
GALVESTON AND THE OTHER DURING
HURRICANE HARVEY IN ROCKPORT.
IT IS ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING
SURREAL MOMENTS TO BE IN THE
MIDDLE OF THE MOMENTS AND ALL OF
A SUDDEN EVERYTHING IS PERFECTLY
CALM.
WE DIDN’T GET THAT WITH THIS
ONE.
IT DID DIE DOWN BUT NOT THAT
PERFECT CALM.
I’M HAPPY TO HEAR FROM KHAMBREL
AND BRITTA THAT THE SOUTHERN EYE
WALL IS MOVING THROUGH.
WE’RE HOPING TO SEE THE LIGHT AT
THE END OF THE TUNNEL BUT NOT
THE PERFECT EYE.
>> IT IS A FASCINATING
PHENOMENON.
I STOOD IN ONE OF THOSE IN NORTH
CAROLINA SO MANY YEARS AGO.
TO SEE THE SUN SHINING AND
EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE MIDDLE OF
THAT WAS RIDICULOUS.
ROBERT, THANK YOU FOR THAT.