Instead of bringing the sucker-punch Hurricane Laura to Louisiana, state
officials attributed to luck and local preparation initiatives that prepared
resources and got many of the most vulnerable out of danger. Harm was
worst inside Orange city limits where service crews and locals armed with
chainsaws Thursday made logs of downed trees dragging power lines with them.
Areas along the Sabine River also found flooded, but passable pick-up streets.
For most, the storm's impact was whether a tree dropped or the wind
got a good head start at a vulnerable spot in the glass or wall. He wasn't
surprised to see a tree hitting his garage when he returned to Green.
His wife foretold.
It wasn't her first defensive premonition. The couple acquired flood
insurance three years ago and 45 days ago — less than seven weeks
before Harvey deposited a foot of water in their house — at Fulcher-Welch
's sudden urge. Around 400 dollars saved them thousands, Lambing said.
This time, they're probably on the hook for more expensive but counting
their blessings. One of the two fallen trees struck the garage roof, but
not the house. A massive limb broke indoors and landed inches of Lambing's
BMW M3, which seemed untouched. Another branch overhang punctured. Leaves
and tiny branches scatter over the back deck like a shrubbery grenade.
Two-thirds of Orange County was helpless, County Judge John Gothia
said, among an estimated 160,000 electric lines cut off by storms. Relative
to recovery needs east of the border, some of the most affected were shrugging
off some of Laura's lingering effects. Elton Robert rode the storm
with his dog Bruce, four blocks from the Sabine River bursting into Green,
worried by authorities. The river grew into Robert's neighborhood,
but not his tiny rental home. A foot of water wasn't enough to shake
Robert's spirits.