The hurricane that reached the American coast on Thursday morning (Dutch time), weakened a few hours later to a hurricane of the second category. US authorities warn that Laura is still very dangerous, with wind speeds of up to 170 kilometers per hour.
Later on Thursday, the hurricane is likely to weaken further into a tropical storm. Laura came ashore as a hurricane of the second highest category (4), with wind speeds of 150 miles per hour. American meteorologists expect a lot of damage in inhabited areas.
According to American media, about half a million people in the states of Texas and Louisiana are without electricity. More than half a million residents were called upon to find temporary shelter elsewhere, but several thousand Americans refused to leave their homes.
In the US state of Louisiana, a 14-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on her house. She is the only known fatal victim of the storm on American soil.
Several cities have reported that the hurricane has caused damage, but that it is too early to list it. Such damage reports are expected to follow Friday.
Reports of damage in coastal Louisiana towns
Several homes in Cameron and Lake Charles are known to have been damaged so far. A local casino in Cameron is said to have been washed away by the water in a flooded street, the news agency writes AP. It is not clear whether victims were involved.
Police Chief Tony Guillory tells in conversation with AP that several residents have called the police to ask for help. However, according to him, agents cannot always reach them. “We need to pray for residents who stayed too close to shore. Judging by the strength of the hurricane, there seems little hope that those people survived.”
There are fears in particular for 50 to 150 households in Cameron Parish, the place where Laura officially landed. They refused to leave their homes, but authorities dispute whether the homes survived the violence of nature.
Laura already caused a lot of damage in Haiti last weekend. Twenty people were killed by the hurricane and several villages and towns were flooded.
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