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The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is tracking the progress of Hurricane Laura. According to the Public Advisory issued by the NHC at 7:00 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 26, 2020, the eye of Hurricane Laura was located near latitude 26.4 North, longitude 91.4 West. Laura is moving toward the northwest near 15 mph (24 km/h) and this general motion should continue today, followed by a north-northwestward motion tonight. On the forecast track, Laura should approach the Upper Texas and southwest Louisiana coasts this evening and move inland near those areas tonight or Thursday morning. BLS maps and tables are available for areas in all of the states that may be affected by this event. For more information on hurricanes, see the National Hurricane Center.
The Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW) program has created a set of maps and data for hurricane flood zones on the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts. Where permitted by State regulations, maps include dots indicating the location of business and government establishments. This product is the combination of geocoded BLS establishment data and flood zones created by the U.S. Corps of Engineers and State emergency management authorities. For more information, see the flood zone Questions and Answers page.
The summarized data are presented for each zone. If a Category I storm is experienced, the subject establishments are represented by the zone 1 sums. The zone 2 sums represent the establishments which are not affected by Category I storms, but are affected by Category II storms. To get a total for establishments subject to a Category II storm, users should add the zone 1 and zone 2 values. The zone 3 sums represent the establishments which are not affected by Category I or II storms, but are affected by Category III storms. To get a total for establishments subject to a Category III storm, users should add the zone 1, 2, and 3 values. The zone 4 sums represent the establishments which are not affected by Category I, II, or III storms, but are affected by Category IV storms. To get a total for establishments subject to a Category IV storm, users should add the zone 1, 2, 3, and 4 values.
Last Modified Date: August 26, 2020