Major Category 4 Hurricane Laura made landfall early Thursday morning in the southwest coast of U.S. Louisiana, causing damages and casualty.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards confirmed the first fatality from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana Thursday morning, saying a 14-year-old girl died when a tree fell on her family's home.
Edwards said wind from Laura did the most damage, with storm surge falling short of projections. The governor warned the storm did "extensive" damage that is ongoing as it continues to move inland.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Thursday crediting the evacuation orders before the landfall, saying so far there is no report of deaths in Texas. But he noted that it was premature as Hurricane Laura "continues to sweep through Texas in an unprecedented fashion."
The powerful storm made landfall in Louisiana's Cameron Parish as a Category 4 hurricane about 1 a.m. Thursday, making it the most powerful hurricane to hit Louisiana in 150 years. It brought screeching winds of a maximum speed of 240 kilometers per hour, with blistering rain and crashing storm surge were caused by the storm.
The storm also left half a million of people in Louisiana and Texas without power. In Louisiana's Lake Charles, one of the hardest hit areas, pictures from social media showed downtown building damage and lots of debris.
"Power is out pretty much everywhere," local TV station quoted Calcasieu Parish spokesman Thomas Hoefer as saying. He expected the property damage to be "really bad."
The storm weakened to a Category 2 hurricane just after 5 a.m., bringing hurricane conditions further inland, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
NHC said Thursday morning that damaging winds and flooding rainfall are spreading inland over central and northern portions of Louisiana. High water levels persist along portions of the Gulf Coast.
