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People with Kentucky ties prepare for Hurricane Laura in Louisiana

Posted at 8:07 PM, Aug 26, 2020
and last updated 2020-08-26 20:07:27-04

(LEX 18) — Hurricane Laura is quickly approaching the coastline of Louisiana and Texas.

Sophie Porter, who has ties to the Bluegrass is one of the over half a million Americans who have been evacuated.

"It's kind of hard to be here and enjoy these things when you're worried about your loved ones and property back home," Porter said.

Porter left their home that's about 40 miles north of Louisiana's coastline with three of their kids and their dog. However, her husband, who is a state trooper, had to stay behind to work.

Porter grew up in Louisiana but briefly lived in Richmond, Kentucky during high school. This isn't her first hurricane. She was evacuated in 2005 when Hurricane Rita hit Louisiana so she knew the proper precautions to take.

"We did take everything inside off the porch and boarded up the windows, but we have a lot of trees in our area and are expecting flooding and high winds, so we're just really worried about our home," Porter explained.

Mark Osborne is a Kentucky native who is also bracing for the hurricane. He has now made his home in Thibodaux, Louisiana, but unlike Porter, he has not been evacuated and will be staying put for the storm.

"I've been through several hurricanes and tropical storms and we've already had one tropical storm come through this year, so the tropical storm is nothing but this a category 4 hurricane, so this is nothing to take lightly," said Osborne.