BBC News — 27th August 2020
Hurricane Laura has struck the US state of Louisiana, causing flash floods, severe damage to buildings and power cuts to more than half a million homes. It is one of the strongest to ever hit the US Gulf Coast, striking at category four with winds up to 150mph (240km/h).
More than 540,000 homes in Louisiana and more than 130,000 in Texas had lost power by Thursday morning. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said: “It appears there is more structural damage from the wind and a little less flood damage than we anticipated.” The governor confirmed the first fatality in his state.
Half a million residents had been told to leave parts of Texas and Louisiana ahead of landfall. Laura’s storm surge did not reach the feared 20ft levels, with 9ft recorded in some parts, but the surge could still affect areas 40 miles or more inland. Forecasters warned of “catastrophic storm surge, hurricane force winds and flash flooding.” Laura and another storm, Marco, earlier swept across the Caribbean, killing 24 people.