La. dealers assess damage after Hurricane Laura blasts Gulf Coast

Louisiana auto dealers woke up to the devastation that Hurricane Laura left behind after making landfall overnight.

Laura hit Cameron, La., at 1 a.m. Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane. It was later downgraded to Category 3 and then 2 as the storm continues to move further inland.

Dealers this week moved inventory and blocked windows in preparation of Hurricane Laura, which sustained 150 mph winds overnight.

Less than 50 miles north of landfall, Louisiana dealer Phillip Tarver hunkered down with 30 other people in his Lake Charles Toyota dealership Wednesday night.

"The interior of our building held firm and strong and we didn't ever feel threatened or in danger," he told Automotive News on early Thursday.

Tarver was assessing damages to the store and his home this morning.

"The building took a good beating but it's still standing strong, it's amazing," he said.

Laura is the first hurricane to hit Louisiana as a Category 4 storm since 1965. According to the National Hurricane Center Laura is moving northward over southwestern Louisiana at 15 mph with a 60 mile reach from the center of the storm. It is expected to maintain that speed throughout the day and into Friday.

As Laura progresses further inland some watches and warnings have been discontinued but the hurricane warning for High Island, Texas to Intracoastal City, La., and the tropical storm warning for east of Intracoastal City, La., to the Mouth of the Mississippi River remain.

"Hurricane conditions are expected in the hurricane warning area through the morning, with catastrophic wind damage expected near Laura's eyewall," the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm is forecast to move across Louisiana on Thursday morning, and move further northeast through Arkansas, the mid-Mississippi Valley and mid-Atlantic states by Saturday.

Bloomberg reported early Thursday Laura could inflict more than $15 billion in insured losses.

"Life-threatening storm surge continues along much of the Louisiana coastline," the National Hurricane Center said.

The highest storm surge could reach record levels of up to 20 feet from Johnson Bayou, La., to Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge, the National Hurricane Center said. The surge is predicted to impact up to 40 miles inland from the coastline.

Wednesday night the National Hurricane Center warned that the "unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, La., including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes."

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the right of the landfall location, where the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.

Surge warnings remain in effect for High Island, Texas, to the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to a Thursday morning public advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

"Rapid weakening is forecast, and Laura is expected to become a tropical storm later today," the National Hurricane Center said.

The Weather Channel anticipates a heavy rain threat through the weekend from southeastern Texas and southwestern Louisiana up through the central Appalachians as the storm moves northeastward.

In parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi the National Hurricane Center is predicting up to 12 inches of rain which "may lead to flash and urban flooding and rapid rises on small streams."

Tornadoes are also possible throughout the day Thursday in Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.