Laura Promises “Catastrophic” Damage

Laura, now a powerful Category Four hurricane, is pushing toward Texas and Louisiana with winds topping 140 miles per hour. NBC's Chris Pollone reports.

(NBC News) — Hurricane Laura has strengthened into an powerful Category Four storm with winds topping 140 miles per hour.

Forecasters say Laura will bring extreme winds, flash flooding and storm surge up to 30 miles inland when it strikes.

“You are going to hear the word ‘unsurvivable’ to describe the storm surge that we are expecting,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned Wednesday morning.

Laura is expected to hit near the Louisiana-Texas border, but its effects will be felt for hundreds of miles.

“To think there would be a wall of water over 2 stories high coming on shore is difficult for most to conceive, but that is what is going to happen,” says Ben Schott of the National Weather Service.

Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for hundreds of thousands, and for those who ignore evacuation orders, officials say at a certain point first responders won’t be there if you call for help.

“We are anticipating catastrophic damages, if you stay we are anticipating loss of life,” Port Arthur Mayor Thurman Bartie warns.

Read more here.