Hurricane Delta barrels toward Louisiana with 100mph winds and a life-threatening 11-foot storm surge as one million residents brace for another hit
Louisiana residents still reeling from the destruction wrought by a powerful hurricane less than two months ago are now under threat yet again as Hurricane Delta steams north through the Gulf after striking Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.
Delta is expected to blow ashore as a Category 2 hurricane on Friday, bringing winds of up to 100mph and a storm surge of up to 11 feet, forecasters warned. They placed most of Louisiana within Delta's path, including the southwest area of the state around Lake Charles, where Category 4 Hurricane Laura ripped houses from their foundations, peeled off roofs and tore trailers in half on August 27.
Nearly six weeks later, 5,600 people remain in New Orleans hotels because their homes are too damaged to occupy. Trees, roofs and other debris left in Laura's wake still sit by roadsides waiting for pickup even as forecasters warned that Delta could be a larger than average storm.
As of 11am EST Thursday, Delta was centered about 400 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana, and moving at a speed of 14 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane warning is in effect from High Island, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana - meaning that hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours.
Residents living along the coast have been urged to have hurricane plans ready and to look out for any local evacuation orders as state and local officials continued shoring up levees, sandbagging and taking other protections measures.
Louisiana residents still reeling from the destruction wrought by a powerful hurricane less than two months ago are now under threat yet again as Hurricane Delta steams north through the Gulf after striking Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. Pictured: Francisco Chan loads up the back of his truck with sand bags to prepare for Delta's arrival on Thursday in Houma
As of 11am EST Thursday, Delta was centered about 400 miles south of Cameron, Louisiana, and moving at a speed of 14 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center
Stephanie Verrett and Jodie Jones fill sandbags to protect their home in anticipation of Hurricane Delta
Bernie Arnould gets help from Kaden Ashley and D.J. Hebert , all with Pelican Companies, as they board up the windows to the front of MC Bank in Amelia, Louisiana, on Wednesday
A resident of Houma, Louisiana, picked up sandbags in preparation for Delta's arrival, which could take place on Friday
Michael Vice boards to prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Delta in Houma, Louisiana, on Wednesday
The large majority of structures damaged by Laura haven't been permanently repaired, Gov John Bel Edwards noted on Wednesday.
'All that debris could become missiles in really strong wind,' said Edwards, who also worried about the 'sheer anxiety' the storm could cause already traumatized residents.
'We don't want a hurricane to hit anywhere, but we know that the area that is least prepared and ready for a storm happens to be southwest Louisiana.'
Edwards said President Donald Trump approved his request to declare a federal emergency, which frees up federal resources.
This is the sixth time in the Atlantic hurricane season that people in Louisiana have been forced to flee the state's barrier islands and sail boats to safe harbor while emergency officials ramp up command centers and consider ordering evacuations.
In neighboring Mississippi, Gov Tate Reeves also declared a state of emergency. The southern part of Mississippi could see heavy rain and flash flooding.
Forecasts predict Delta will make landfall on the US Gulf Coast on Friday evening as a Category 2 storm
Delta has been picking up speed as it barrels across the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 2 storm
A hurricane warning is in effect from High Island, Texas, to Morgan City, Louisiana - meaning that hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours
Hurricane Delta is the 25th named storm of the Atlantic's unprecedented hurricane season. Delta hit Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane just south of the resort city of Cancun early Wednesday with high winds and heavy rain, cutting power to more than 260,000 customers. No deaths or injuries were reported.
The Hotel Association of Cancun said more than 40,000 tourists were evacuated from resorts in and around Cancun on Tuesday night as the hurricane's winds topped 145mph before it weakened as it approached land.
About 50 miles south of Cancun the four-star Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya was transformed into an emergency shelter as hundreds of guests were packed into common-area rooms like sardines.
Photos and videos posted to social media showed families sitting side-by-side on rows of sun loungers transformed into makeshift cots - with few masks and little social distancing despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
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Delta toppled dozens of trees and knocked out power in parts of Cancun and Cozumel on Wednesday morning
Delta's winds topped 145mph overnight Tuesday before it weakened slightly as it approached land on Wednesday morning
Police clear debris from a road after the passing of Hurricane Delta in Tizimin, Mexico, on Wednesday
A man pushes his bicycle along a flooded street after Hurricane Delta passed through Tizimin on Wednesday
Motorcyclists ride past a power post toppled by Hurricane Delta in Tizimin on Wednesday
About 50 miles south of Cancun the four-star Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya was transformed into an emergency shelter as hundreds of guests were packed into common-area rooms like sardines
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Heartwarming moment adult cats help stranded kitten onto rooftop
Naughty husky Oreo pulls guilty face after tearing up owner's sofa
Fly steals the show as it lands on Pence's head
An impressive groom catches fish moments before his wedding
Ohio man sings 'You Are My Sunshine' to donkey in his arms
Zoella's assistant Holly Macey helps load pumpkins into van
Huge fire engulfs an apartment block in Ulsan
Girl spotted in the background during interview with Chris Watts
Dogs gain TikTok fame for recreating pictures taken on iPhone
Dog falls fast asleep while standing up after holiday
Owner creates dog size holes in fence for pets to see through
Royal Navy jets pretend to 'attack' HMS Queen Elizabeth
The storm weakened to a Category 1 storm Wednesday afternoon, but had already restrengthened to a Category 2 by Thursday morning, with sustained winds near 100 mph. The storm was expected to become a major hurricane by Thursday night, with some weakening forecast once Delta approaches the northern Gulf Coast on Friday.
Many residents said they have had enough.
'This has to be the worst year that I have experienced,' said Andrius Vitto, 42, a food truck owner from Gramercy who helped feed hungry evacuees after Laura.
After learning this week that his native New Iberia, just to the east of Laura's worst devastation, was in Hurricane Delta's sights, 'the hair rolled up on my arms,' he said.
'To see all this happening in one year - you know with the wildfires, with the hurricanes, the rain, all the other stuff in the news - COVID - it's mind-boggling.'
In Sulphur, across the Calcasieu River from Lake Charles, Ben Reynolds was deciding Wednesday whether to leave or stay. He had to use a generator for power for a week after Hurricane Laura.
'It's depressing,' Reynolds said. 'It's scary as hell.'
While New Orleans has been mostly spared by the weather and found itself outside Delta's cone Wednesday, constant vigilance and months as a COVID-19 hot spot have strained a vulnerable city still scarred by memories of 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Delta's shifting forecast track likely meant no need for a major evacuation, but the city's emergency officials were on alert.
'We've had five near misses. We need to watch this one very, very closely,' New Orleans Emergency Director Collin Arnold said.
Terrebonne Parish employee Raul Estrada stabilizes a rock wall with cement on Island Road in Isle de Jean Charles, Louisiana
A plane full of a few dozen puppies arrives at Pittsfield Municipal Airport in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on Wednesday from Mobile, Alabama, ahead of Hurricane Delta to make room in the shelters affected by the storm
Puppies await transport to the Berkshire Humane Society in Massachusetts after arriving on a plane from Mobile, Alabama
Jule Chaisson pulls his crab traps from Bayou Dularge in anticipation of Hurricane Delta in Theriot, Louisiana, on Wednesday
Charles Russ pulls their boat from the water after pulling his crab traps from Bayou Dularge in anticipation of Hurricane Delta
Along with getting hit by Hurricane Laura and escaping Hurricane Sally, Louisiana saw heavy flooding June 7 from Tropical Storm Cristobal. Tropical Storm Beta prompted tropical storm warnings in mid-September as it slowly crawled up the northeast Texas coast.
Tropical Storm Marco looked like it might deliver the first half of a hurricane double-blow with Laura, but nearly dissipated before hitting the state near the mouth of the Mississippi River on August 24.
There are nearly eight weeks of hurricane season left, although forecasters at the National Weather Service office in New Orleans noted in a discussion Tuesday of this week's forecast that outside of Delta, the skies above the Gulf of Mexico look calm.
'Not seeing any signs of any additional tropical weather in the extended which is OK with us because we are SO DONE with Hurricane Season 2020,' they wrote.
Jule Chaisson motors his boat to the dock after pulling some of his crab traps from Bayou Dularge in anticipation of Hurricane Delta in Theriot, Louisiana, on Wednesday. Chaisson said he pulled around 1,000 traps over the last three days
Brian Dufrene loads his crab traps on a trailer after pulling them from Bayou Dularge in anticipation of Hurricane Delta
Charles Russ and Allan Bergeron pull their boat from the water after pulling their crab traps from Bayou Dularge
A sport fisherman leaves Pointe Aux Chenes in Terrebonne Parish ahead of Hurricane Delta on Wednesday