I-10 packed with evacuees trying to get out of Louisiana ahead of Delta

LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana (KTRK) -- As Hurricane Delta is working its way toward the Gulf, residents in Louisiana aren't taking any risks and are leaving the area.

WATCH: ABC13's Charlie Haldeman shows how jammed I-10 is through Lake Charles

With homes and buildings still in shambles from Hurricane Laura, six weeks to clean up just wasn't enough time.

Drivers were seen slowly moving in heavy traffic on I-10 in Lake Charles on Thursday.

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter said a mandatory evacuation has been issued and posted strong warnings in a Facebook video to his city, which was already ravaged by Hurricane Laura in August.

"It really is a scary proposition for Lake Charles," Hunter said in the video. "I cannot encourage people enough to evacuate."

Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed by Laura in the region. Many salvageable houses still are covered in blue tarps awaiting roof repairs or rebuilding.

READ MORE: A look at the aftermath from Hurricane Laura in Lake Charles and Cameron

Watch this SkyEye video tour of the damage in the Lake Charles and Cameron areas of Louisiana.

Hunter says people without transportation should go to a city bus stop and head to the local convention center, where state-administered buses will take them away from the area to a shelter site elsewhere in the state.

He told residents that even if their home survived Laura, they shouldn't assume that their home will make it through Delta.

"I know that we've been through a lot and I know that we're tired. But we have a job to do right now, and that job is to keep ourselves safe," Hunter said.

READ MORE: Lake Charles residents scrambling to prepare for Hurricane Delta

People prepared Wednesday to once again flee the state's barrier islands and moved boats to safe harbor while emergency officials are ordering evacuations.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.