Louisiana residents refusing to flee storm get grim warning: "Write your name…and next of kin and put it in a Ziploc bag"
Louisiana officials gave a grim warning to residents just hours before Hurricane Laura made landfall: Rescue efforts won't begin until after the massive storm and its surge have passed.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana and Texas faced mandatory curfews and evacuations on Wednesday and Thursday, ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Laura, a Category 4 storm when it made landfall. Officials warned residents that didn't evacuate that they would need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.
"Those choosing to stay and face this very dangerous storm must understand that rescue efforts cannot and will not begin until after storm and surge has passed and it is safe to do so," the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office said in a statement.
Officials warned of the possibility of massive flooding and catastrophic wind that would cause major damage in Vermilion Parish, "creating a very dangerous situation to include loss of life."
"Please evacuate and if you choose to stay and we can't get to you, write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a ziplock bag in your pocket," the sheriff's office said. "Praying that it does not come to this!"
"Expecting the worse but praying for the best," officials added.
Laura is the strongest storm to ever make landfall in the western Louisiana and northern Texas coast, bringing catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding as it hit as a Category 4 storm.
A 14-year-old girl in Leesville is the first confirmed fatality in Louisiana. She died when a tree fell on her home, officials said.
As of mid-Thursday morning, the storm weakened, with winds near 75 mph. The hurricane is expected to become a tropical storm and then a tropical depression, according to the hurricane center.
But, forecasters said that high water levels remain along the Gulf Coast. Tornadoes are possible through Thursday night in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi.
"Now is not the time to go sightseeing," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards tweeted Thursday. "The threat #Laura poses to Louisiana is far from over."