The eye of Hurricane Laura came ashore essentially due south of Lake Charles. For that reason, there was no storm surge in Lake Charles. The storm surge was east of the eye. Lake Charles was in, not east of the eye. Holly Beach was in, not east of the eye as Hurricane Laura came ashore. Because the storm came in due south of the above named population centers, water was not piled up into Calcasieu Lake, Moss Lake, Prien Lake, and Lake Charles. If the storm approach had been a few miles W of named population centers at landfall, we would be having a different discussion. Fortunately, the worst storm surge occurred in low population Wildlife Refuges and Conservation Areas.
Hurricane Laura Tropical Cyclone Update
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL132020
900 AM CDT Thu Aug 27 2020
...DAMAGING WINDS AND FLOODING RAINFALL SPREADING INLAND OVER WESTERN AND CENTRAL LOUISIANA...
...LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE CONTINUES ALONG MUCH OF THE
LOUISIANA COASTLINE...
Alexandria International Airport, Louisiana, recently reported a sustained wind of 48 mph (78 km/h) and a wind gust of 79 mph (128
km/h).
SUMMARY OF 900 AM CDT...1400 UTC...INFORMATION
$$
Forecaster Roberts/Brown
so where did mysterious 20 foot storm surge go??...ill tell ya where, east of the eye along the coast, where hardly anybody lives. Storm surge does NOT go 40 miles inland...as for the eye, surge is north...east...and west of the eye,..the eye provides no safe guard from surge. You all fall for the hype..