Five people have died from carbon monoxide poisoning in Calcasieu Parish, local officials announced during a press conference on Friday detailing the damage and recovery efforts after Hurricane Laura.
The dead were found in a home where a generator was running in an attached garage with a door open or partially open, Lake Charles Police Chief Shawn Caldwell said. Caldwell warned people not to put a generator anywhere near their house, or under a covered awning, porch or garage.
“Don’t let a generator cost your life,” he said. One other person has died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the wake of Laura.
Officials warned residents that the entire parish sustained extensive damage that will take weeks to repair. Water and electricity are down in most areas, there are few places to buy food or gas. Residents are being warned to stay away. If they come to survey the damage to their property, they’re being asked to leave right after. A parish-wide curfew is in effect from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., in part due to downed trees and power lines blocking roads.
“It’s very dangerous out here,” Calcasieu Parish Sherriff Tony Mancuso said, noting there is “serious, serious catastrophic damage.”
The sheriff’s office has fielded 1,660 calls since yesterday and completed 66 search-and-rescues, mostly for people stuck in their homes, some who’d had trees fall on their houses.
Parish officials and mayors of towns inside the parish compared the damage to that sustained after Hurricane Rita, or worse. The current priority is to push debris to the edge of roads. A later priority will be to clear the drainage ditches at roadsides.
“If I wasn't the Mayor of Lake Charles right now, and I didn't have to be here, I promise you I'd be I'd probably with my family out of town right now,” Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said. “Every now and then I'll just look out the window and I see the Capital One building, and it looks like Swiss cheese.”
Paul Hesse, the mayor of the town of Iowa, said 80 percent of homes and businesses are damaged, some beyond repair.
“Our beautiful town with all our trees, you’re just not going to recognize it,” he said.
Representatives from Entergy and Beauregard Electric warned of substantial damage. Both companies are surveying the destruction by land and air. Entergy has 244,000 service loca in Louisiana without power.
People who need help leaving the parish are being asked to call 211 for assistance.
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