President Donald Trump arrived in Louisiana Saturday to meet with the survivors of Hurricane Laura and to survey the destruction from the storm, which has left 16 dead, as one of the worst hurricane seasons on record churns on.
The president was greeted by Democratic Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, Republican Sen. John Kennedy and other officials. Widespread debris and destruction, including many damaged homes, were visible from Air Force One as it approached the city.
“If you think of it, Louisiana’s been through a lot,” Trump said to Bel Edwards. “You’ve done a great job.” The visit comes on the 15th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
Trump promised Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter and other mayors from surrounding communities that funding will be provided. “We will supply what we have to supply, and you know what that is,” the president said. “I think it is all green, right?”
He also visited a warehouse distributing relief supplies and a stadium, where he was greeted by hundreds.
Laura, the first major hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. this season, slammed into Lake Charles, La., early Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds. The southwestern part of the state and parts of nearby southeast Texas saw widespread damage.
Forecasters are already watching two more storm systems in the Atlantic Ocean that could become new hurricanes.
The first, which would be called Nina, has a 30 percent chance of becoming a cyclone in the next five days, meaning it has winds of 39 mph or more. The storm was about 550 miles east of Barbados Saturday morning.
The second, which would be called Omar, is much further east, south of the Cabo Verde Islands about 400 miles off the coast of Africa. It’s has a 40 percent chance of strengthening in the next five days.
This hurricane season, which began June 1, could end up being one of the worst ever. It has already set records, with more than a dozen named storms so far. In early August, forecasters increased their estimates for the number of storms expected this year, predicting 19 to 25 named storms and up to 11 hurricanes.
A normal season sees 12 named storms and six hurricanes.
Remnants of Laura, meanwhile, moved through the Mid-Atlantic states on Saturday, bringing widespread rain, severe weather and gusty winds, but largely moved south of the New York region.
September is usually the peak of hurricane season. It ends Nov. 30.
Of the U.S. deaths caused by Laura, more than half were attributed to carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators.
During the president’s visit to a Lake Charles firehouse, Rep. Steve Scalise noted improvements in how the state coordinates storm response with FEMA.
“Now we have such great coordination,” Scalise said. “We feel like the federal government’s got our back.”
Additional reporting by Mary Kay Linge
