Gov. Edwards releases statement after Louisiana is spared by Nate

BATON ROUGE, LA (WVUE) - Governor John Bel Edwards spoke to members of the Unified Command Group and the National Weather Service Sunday morning to discuss the impacts of Hurricane Nate on Louisiana.

There was a flight originally scheduled for today in case there was widespread damage following the storm, but it was canceled after most of Louisiana was spared by the hurricane.

Gov. Edwards released this statement following the briefing:

"Hurricane Nate had the potential to wreak havoc on Louisiana, but thankfully, we were largely spared major damage.  We can never predict with complete accuracy where a storm will go, but we can always be prepared.  Hurricane Nate moved at an unprecedented speed towards the Gulf Coast.  Because it moved so quickly, the damage was minimal in Louisiana.  However, a shift of a mere 50 miles to the West would have brought damaging winds and life-threatening storm surges.  State, local, and federal officials mobilized quickly to ensure our citizens had the information they needed to stay safe.  In Louisiana, we have far too much practice preparing for disasters, but I am confident that we will be ready for the next storm should we not be so lucky. Our neighbors to the East are taking the brunt of this storm, and we offer them our prayers and support as they assess the damage."

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