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Hurricane Laura Threatens National Park Units

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Published Date

August 26, 2020
Hurricane Laura was threatening several units of the National Park System/NOAA

Hurricane Laura was threatening several units of the National Park System/NOAA

As Hurricane Laura bore down on the Louisiana and Texas coasts, units of the National Park System boarded up and hunkered down to wait out the storm.

With winds expected to exceed 110 mph and a storm surge that could reach 20 feet in some areas, Laura was a Category 4 hurricane that National Hurricane Center forecasters called "an extremely dangerous storm."

In an effort to ensure the safety and protection of the public, park staff, resources, and facilities, Cane River Creole National Historical Park in Lousiana planned to close to the public on Thursday, while Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas closed Tuesday.

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve in New Orleans had closed on Sunday.

Hurricane Center forecasters said Laura would bring an "unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves" that would inflict "catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park in Texas to Intracoastal City, Louisiana."

Hurricane-force winds were expected to begin raking the area Wednesday night.

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