KARK’s chief meteorologist Keith Monahan, like many journalists, found himself in the thick of a major hurricane Wednesday night.
The Little Rock, Ark., weather anchor, who is covering Hurricane Laura from Lake Charles, La., gave a play-by-play of the storm’s strength as it made landfall and showed off the extent of the damage.
In one video, Monahan showed video of the roof of his hotel begin to lift from the building because of high winds.
“Roof is now coming off of our hotel,” he wrote in a tweet that accompanied video. “We’re okay.”
Monahan and KARK news photographer Marc Gustafson moved to a safe room in the hotel as the damage continued. “A side door just blew out and the ceilings are coming down in places,” Monahan reported. “We’re safe.”
Daybreak photos show the extent of the damage to the hotel. The roof is destroyed in some places, and some windows are broken. In one image, a light pole is folded over entirely.
Roof is now coming off of our hotel. We’re okay. #HurricaneLaura #arwx #lawx @LakeCharlesCity pic.twitter.com/9faWM0gr41
— Chief Keith Monahan, CBM (@ChiefKeith) August 27, 2020
#HurricaneLaura aftermath in @LakeCharlesCity. #arwx #lawx pic.twitter.com/msgTNi7JHN
— Chief Keith Monahan, CBM (@ChiefKeith) August 27, 2020