'Still Rippin': Louisiana Steersman Rides Out Hurricane Laura on Tugboat
A Louisiana man rode out Hurricane Laura from his tugboat in the early hours of August 27, as wind speeds reached 137 miles per hour.
Austin Lewis was on a boat in Hackberry, near Lake Charles, when the hurricane hit the southwest coast. He spoke to CNN as he was in the eye of the storm.
“It’s not so bad at the moment. We’re in the eye now. Right before we got into the eye, it was – the highest gauge we got here was 137 miles per hour,” he said. “We had a couple of buildings around us come loose. A couple of antennae and satellites off of some boats.”
Lewis told CNN that it was not unusual for people to stay in the area during these weather conditions, due to many of them owning boats. “Everybody knew what they were getting into before they got here,” he said.
Footage posted by Lewis on Facebook shows heavy rain, winds, and debris hitting the boats. Further clips show the boats rocking in the wind. Credit: Austin Lewis via Storyful
