Hurricane Laura that reached the American coast on Thursday morning (Dutch time) has so far killed at least six people, reports CNN. Laura did less damage than predicted, but nevertheless authorities warn that the storm remains dangerous.
In the US state of Louisiana, at least four people were killed on Thursday by falling trees, including a fourteen-year-old girl. In addition, a man drowned when his boat sank and another man died from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by the storm. The hurricane also broke out a major fire at a chemical plant near the town of Lake Charles. Nobody was injured.
“This was the most powerful storm to ever make landfall in Louisiana. Laura continues to cause damage and life-threatening conditions,” Southern state governor John Bel Edwards said at a news conference Thursday.
It will probably take days for the complete damage to be identified. It is certain that on Thursday afternoon (local time) at least 867,000 homes and businesses in the states of Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas were without power. Residents had previously been called to evacuate, but not everyone responded.
According to Edwards, most of the damage currently appears to have been caused by the wind, rather than the storm surge. Roofs and walls have been damaged in many places. Many trees have also fallen and many lamp posts and street signs have also been damaged. Many roads are also flooded.
Laura has watered down to tropical storm
When Laura made landfall in Louisiana, it was a fourth category hurricane and maximum wind speeds of 150 miles per hour were measured. Once on land, the hurricane weakened into a tropical storm.
Laura now travels across the state of Arkansas. The state’s governor, Asa Hutchinson, has called on residents to be alert to the weather. “The danger will undoubtedly come in the next 24 hours,” he says. “We are going to experience floods and strong winds”.
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