The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) has closed a major interstate to traffic due to potentially deadly severe weather.
The DOTD announced the closure around 8:30 on Wednesday night ahead of Hurricane Laura, which made landfall early Thursday in Cameron, about 45 miles south of Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Until further notice, I-10 eastbound is closed at the Texas/Louisiana state line, and I-10 westbound is closed west of the Atchafalaya Basin. There is currently no estimated time for the interstate to reopen.
The DOTD recommends that drivers use use U.S 61, I-55, and I-59 and travel north to connect with I-20.
Several social media users are reporting that a casino boat broke free during the severe weather and is now under the I-10 bridge in Lake Charles, which could complicate reopening the interstate.
The DOTD also warns drivers to use extra caution when driving in severe weather and to avoid driving into high waters.
Laura arrived in the U.S. as a Category 4 Hurricane, bringing with it 150 m.p.h. winds. One U.S. fatality in the town of Leesville has been reported so far. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards called the storm surge brought by Hurricane Laura “unsurvivable.”
More than 600,000 people in Louisiana and Texas are without power as a result of the hurricane.
Laura has been downgraded to a Category 2 Hurricane but is still expected to bring storm surges, heavy rainfall, high winds, and tornadoes as it continues north.
Please check out the latest road closure information at 511LA.com before you travel.