Lashing the louisiana and texas coast with 150 mileanhour winds. Good morning, everyone. Im sandra smith. Trace good morning, everyone, im trace gallagher. Right now laura is a category 2 hurricane winds still reaching 100 Miles Per Hour. Sandra a trail of destruction. Blowing off roofs and windows and snapping trees. Hundreds of thousands left without power. The National Hurricane center said there was an unsurvivable storm surge with waters rising up to 20 feet. Governor greg abbott updates the situation in his state. Some regions of texas still getting whipped around by heavy winds and rain and tornadoes. So many people in the northern stretching of east texas need to still be vigilant. The good news is this, that is the early reports show that we have no loss of life, which was the primary goal. Sandra we have fox Team Coverage. Janice dean is tracking the storm from the Fox Weather Center and have jeff flock standing by in lake charles, louisiana. We begin the Charles Watson live in port artur texas, what did you experience last night . We saw a lot of heavy wind. Winds of up to 90 Miles Per Hour. It is a surprise that port arthur didnt sauce tain a lot of damage. You can see the twins bending and our hotel sounded like a sledgehammer with backing into it for hours on end. Looking at this building here there was some concern whether this building thats under the construction would make it through the night. So far what we can see some of the Construction Materials ripped off and some portions of the roof but that seems to be the extent at this point. Now, there is was a mandatory evacuation. We heard the mayor of port arthur urging people to get out of here. Governor greg abbott sending in two c130s in a last chance effort to evacuate people from port arthur. Those folks bl able to get out. There are a half Million People without power and it will take a while for crews to safely restore power. Folks will have to rely on the hurricane kits a little longer. Right now a wait and see situation. Sandra. Sandra charles, thank you for the update. Trace. Trace lets bring in senior meteorologist janice dean tracking the storm for us and joins us now, janice. We will get a new advisory in the next hour or so. Category 2 storm. Strong category 4 when it made landfall 1 00 a. M. Central time. Cameron, louisiana was where the center came onshore, the lowest Pressure Point where we indicate landfall. Still a dangerous storm moving north of lake charles. A wind gust of 133 Miles Per Hour. To feel that wind power so far inland is very impressive. This actually ties for the strongest storm to ever hit louisiana. So thats quite impressive. Category 2 storm. 96 is the threshold, 96 Miles Per Hour for a cat 2. Theyll probably downgrade it in the next advisory because it doesnt have a water source anymore. Wind gusts over 80 miles an hour. Baton rouge. Tropical Storm Force Winds will be felt across a widespread area of the Mississippi River valley even in towards the southeast. Tornadoes. We have a tornado watch, new one in effect for the next several hours for parts of louisiana including new orleans, mississippi and arkansas. I havent seen a lot of tornadoes with this but still precautions youll need to know if there is a watch or warning in your area. Well see that risk throughout the afternoon into the evening as the storm moves northward it will start to accelerate quickly. Well still be dealing with the remnants well into the weekend across portions of the mid atlantic and northeast. We could see hundreds of thousands of people without power just from some of the power lines down and the trees down as the storm continues to move northward. So lets take a look at the track. Well get a new update in the next hour. We think it will quickly weaken to a cat 1 and then a Tropical Storm and extra Tropical Storm as we get in towards the mid atlantic and northeast. Very impressive that well still be dealing with tropical characteristics for several days. Flooding, that is going to be the biggest concern as we go through the next couple of days. Flash flood watches and warnings from cameron, louisiana, all the way toward poplar bluff and indiana. The storm pulls north and eastward. We could get in excess of 2, 4, 6 inches of rainfall in the center of the storm. Gulf of mexico moisture working its way in but certainly have seen some reports of over a foot of rain. Just to leave you with this, were not really even into peak season and we have a wave that just came off the coast of africa that might get our next named storm, trace and sandra. Trace surprised. I was looking at the whole thing. Charles watson in port arthur there. Doesnt seem like a lot of damage in port arthur because it was on the clean side of the storm and came across cameron and would you anticipate seeing more damage in those areas where the storm came in and maybe just to the right of cameron . Certainly. It is always the northeast quad rant of the storm that gets the worst of the storm surge and rains and winds. I will mention that a lot of reporters cant even get into the areas that have been completely annihilated. I think well see a coastline completely changed from this storm. Trace janice dean, thank you for the update. Sandra for more on this lets bring in White House Press secretary Kayleigh Mcenany. Great to have you here this morning. We saw you late in the evening last night at the rnc. Youve seen the damage that has been done so far from hurricane laura. We know its still a dangerous storm. Has the president been in contact with the governors of those two states, louisiana and texas this morning . Yes, he has. When i was walking out here he was on the phone with Governor Abbott. He spoke with John Bel Edwards late in the evening. The president is monitoring it closely. He is going the fema today. He has done it before and do the same as we hold texas and louisiana close to our hearts this morning. Sandra whats the understanding of the preparedness of fema. We are told fema is handling unprecedented emergency demands with the wildfires in california and now the hurricanes and all of it happening in the middle of a pandemic. Is fema prepared . Sandra fema is up to the task. Theyre very impressive. They have handled multiple things at once before and theyll do it again today. Theyre ready, equipped and be there for both states as they handle hurricane laura and wildfires as well. Sandra we have the fema director coming up in the next block. Stay tuned. The president s big night is tonight. Well see him formally accept his partys nomination. This is the moment. What is his message . He will lay out a vision and a choice for americans as to which america they want to live in. What they want their country to look like. I think most importantly what this president is going to do is lay out what he has done over the last four years. This will be a grand speech surveying what he has done for the American People. A lot of times he achieves something and you dont hear about it again like the wall. We had the media demanding to know where the wall was for two years. He achieved the wall and broke through barriers, creates a structure that protects drugs coming into the country and you dont hear about it. Economic achievement. It will be a grand speech and at the end americans will walk away, know what their choice is and know a lot of things they dont often here across the broader media. Sandra last night was the big night for Vice President mike pence. He took to the stage and decided in his moment to tear into joe bidens record calling him a trojan horse for the radical left and also tore into the former Vice President over his record on not speaking out against the violence that were seeing happen in streets and cities across america. Listen. Last week joe biden didnt say one word about the violence and chaos engulfing cities across this country. So let me be clear, the violence must stop whether in minneapolis, portland, or kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans Strike each other down. Sandra while the Biden Campaign has responded as you know joe biden has now spoken out against that violence, but in a statement from bidens Campaign Manager they say instead of a roadmap to defeat this virus and rebuild our economy so it works for the middle class Vice President pence offered up only scare tactics and gas lateing in an attempt to further divide us. How do you respond to that . First we talk about covid and the economy every day at the white house with the president s briefing. It is a real travesty that it took the democrats this long to mention the violence in our street. It was ignored when they had the biggest platform it was ignored. There are little babies that have died in their beds because of gun violence. The democrats have been silent while weve taken action. When you have the media aiding and abetting democrats. Cnn changing it to protests. Cnn saying fiery but not violent protests. The media and democrats are aiding and abetting the violence in the street. This president said we wont let it spill into our neighborhoods like what we saw in portland. Sandra you took to the stage last night as did a number of gop women. We also saw from kellyanne conway, lara trump and others. You chose your moment to share this message. Listen. I want my daughter to grow up in president donald j. Trumps america. He picks the toughest fights and tackles the most complex problems. He has stood by me and he will stand up for you. President trump will keep america safe. President trump will keep america prosperous. President trump will keep america america. Sandra you are being praised this morning for sharing an incredibly moving and personal message. You also talked about a phone call that you had with the president after you had your time in the hospital after your surgery. You talked about that. You heard those personal stories from kellyanne as well as lara and others as well. Why was it important for you, for these gop women, to take to the stage and share personal testimonials on the president . Because we know who this man is. This president loves the American People. It meant the world to me as i was recovering from removing my breast tissue this president who i only met once or twice took the time to call me and out of nowhere before he came down to the oval Office Yesterday called me and said share the story powerfully and emotionally. I want women to know that theyre cared for and protected and your story will give them hope. Thats who this president is. The same way he cared about me he cares about the American People. I see it in the oval Office Every Day and see the phone calls he makes and letters he writes to children and their parents who have died in the streets and victims of violence. I know who this man is. Those other women who spoke last night know what this man is and well share it with the many a can people who think will validate that in november. Sandra the president s big moment tonight. The fourth day of the rnc. The theme today is land of greatness. Great to have you here this morning. Thank you so much. Trace hurricane laura hitting texas and louisiana overnight as the storm now moves inland and fema teams are in place to help out. Well talk to fema administrator peter gainor about the agencys response to the hurricane plus more protests in kenosha, wisconsin, after two people are killed in a deadly shooting the night before. What were learning about the suspect who is now charged with homicide. We lost two great people. I hate that he is gone. That young man stood in front of me and guarded me from tear gas and everything. I dont like it. If your dry eye symptoms keep coming back, inflammation in your eye might be to blame. Looks like a great day for achy, burning eyes overthecounter eye drops typically work by lubricating your eyes and may provide temporary relief. Ha these drops probably wont touch me. Xiidra works differently, targeting inflammation that can cause dry eye disease. What is that . Xiidra, noooo it can provide lasting relief. 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Ive been taking prevagen for about four years. I feel a little bit brighter and my mind just feels sharper. I would recommend it to anyone. It absolutely works. Prevagen. Healthier brain. Better life. We live with at t and we are well past the honeocupado tom. At t, whats this i hear about you advertising a 100 Fiber Network . Only like a fraction of my customers can get that. Thats it . . You have such a glass halfempty attitude. The glass is more than halfempty you need to relax tom. Oh tom, you need a little tom time. A little tt. Stop living with at t. Xfinity delivers gig speeds to more homes than anyone. Sandra more protests in kenosha, wisconsin overnight but police say it was relatively people. 100 people gathered around government buildings coming after the violent protests following the shooting of jacob blake on sunday. 17yearold kyle writ en house is under arrest and charged with the deaths of two people during the protests tuesday night. Trace fox news alert hurricane laura hitting the louisiana gulf coast overnight. The eye of the storm roaring through lake charles with 150 mileanhour winds. Jeff flock is live in lake charles. What are you seeing right now . It was a bad one, trace. You can tell it was a bad one. This was an auto zone here. The damage is everywhere, businesses, homes, schools, maybe you see the roof came off this thing. Im fascinated as you are by hurricanes having been in a number of them. The roof of this auto zone comes flying off into the backyard of this home over there. Just incredible. 150 mileanhour winds and tomas, come here quickly if you can. Its everywhere. There is nothing almost thats not damaged in some way. Roofs off of homes, businesses just up and down here between here and cameron small beach town louisiana right on the gulf. Thats where it came ashore and then all the way up here through lake charles and then as you know it is still going. Leave you with a picture of the residentialall areas here. Almost every house either roof damage, trees down, wide swath. Cat 4 storm, thats a real one, trace. Trace it is amazing, jeff. You look at the pictures there in where you are in lake charles and look at port arthur where Charles Watson is almost no damage. 50 miles away and wow, what a difference. Jeff flock live for us in lake charles. Thank you for the lookaround, we appreciate it. Sandra lets bring in pete gainor, fema administrator. What can you tell us as the update and the federal response to the storm weve seen so far . The sun is just coming up in louisiana and texas and we will start doing Damage Assessments. We do this together with our local and state partners, locally executed, state managed and federally supported. Well get out there this morning. Take us a little bit to see the extent of the damage so we expect to see wind damage to structures and buildings. I think we are fortunate less surge than we thought, which is a good thing. We still have to get out and put our eyes on it to get a full assessment of what the damage looks like this morning. Sandra do you feel at this point that you have the resources you need to respond to the damage . We do. And weve been staged for many days now. So whether its texas, louisiana, mississippi, arkansas, we have not only fema resources but our great supporters, great partners like dod, National Guard, American Red Cross and many others coast guard out there ready to do what they do best, save lives, minimize the suffering and then again start that recovery soon we can. Sandra i ask you that in the context of a pandemic. That has changed a lot of the way that youve had to respond to this hurricane and this could happen again. So what have been the challenges as far as evacuating people, using shelters in some cases in texas. We talked to Governor Abbott putting people into hotels. How has this posed additional challenges . So even in a noncovid hurricane there are many challenges. And then Covid Response just adds a level of difficulty to that. Weve been working on this for a while now and we put out guidance specifically for this scenario back in may and reviewing it with local, states and tribes and territories to make sure they adapt their plans, hurricane plans to these kind of situations. So just to pick out a couple of things, you know, transportation will take more time to transport people because you need more space and vehicles. You need more shelter space because you dont want to pack people into gyms. We have allowed states to use hotel. Put people into hotel rooms and thats what locals and states are doing today. Sandra we just spoke to the White Hous