Watch: Hurricane Coverage Gets Nervy as Reporter Braves Winds, Narrowly Escapes Debris
A reporter in Lake Charles, Louisiana, was nearly blown away as she covered Hurricane Laura’s landfall on Thursday.
Harrowing video footage shows reporters braving the wind and dodging debris as the hurricane made its landfall.
WATCH: Jaw-dropping footage from our live crews last night as #Laura made landfall. pic.twitter.com/psxgyM18tl
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) August 27, 2020
A female reporter stood in 72 mph winds as she reported that the winds were nearing hurricane strength of 74 mph.
The next shots are of the reporter, completely soaked and clutching her hat as she braved the winds.
Then debris and glass rained down on her as she ran up the steps.
“We’re fine. Everyone, we are fine,” the reporter can be heard saying.
Hurricane Laura, which is now a tropical depression, tore across Louisiana destroying homes and businesses and killing at least six people, CBS News reported.
When it landed in Louisiana, Laura was a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds, the strongest storm to hit the state since 1856, according to ABC News.
The storm also produced four tornadoes.
Arkansas has also been hit with damaging winds and flooding and is under a state of emergency.
Laura also smashed Fire Station No. 1 in Iowa, Louisiana, NPR reported.
“It tore the brick off, it tore the roof off, it lifted the truck by its roof,” said Scooter Lewis, chief of the volunteer fire department.
“I mean, it tore everything. I have a skylight in my truck right now.”
Other residents have said Laura is unlike any other hurricane they have experienced in the past.
“This time it’s more, as you can see, the wind just tore everything up,” Lake Charles resident Patrick Bright said.
A flash flood watch has been issued for Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Illinois with some areas predicting 3 to 5 inches of rain.
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