Hurricane Laura makes landfall in US; 4 killed, extensive damage to property

Hurricane Laura me landfall near Cameron in Louisiana on Thursday, bringing "catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding" that killed at least four people, caused extensive dam to property and snapped electricity supply. Laura, a category 4 hurricane with a maximum wind speed of 150 miles per hour and one of strongest to hit US, slammed Gulf Coast early Thursday and roared through Louisiana.

bulk of dam was reported in Louisiana. storm barreled over Lake Charles, Louisiana, an industrial and casi city of 80,000 people. President Donald Trump is expected to visit Gulf Coast this weekend to survey destruction caused by one of catastrophic hurricanes in living memory.

Speaking at Federal Emergency Manment ncy (FEMA) hequarters, hours before final night of Republican National Convention, Trump said campaign briefly considered postponing his convention speech until Monday so he could travel to Texas, Louisiana and possibly Arkansas to survey dam, but ultimately decided to continue with speech as planned. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence were briefed in detail along with dam pictures by FEMA officials at its National Response Coordination Center.

"This team forward deployed resources," Pence said. "We were rey for worst, and by all accounts from experts, while this was obviously a major storm with devastating impact, it was t as b as it could have been."

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Ch Wolf told Trump that situation on ground "is fluid and challenging," but FEMA is responding. hurricane's top wind speed of 150 mph put it among most powerful on record in US. At least four deaths have been linked to storm in Louisiana, Goverr John Bel Edwards said Thursday. All of victims died when trees fell on ir homes. One victim was a 14-year-old girl in Vern Parish. or three are a 68-year-old man in Acia Parish, a 51-year-old man in Jackson Parish, and a 64-year-old woman in Allen Parish.

Widespre power outs across Louisiana and Texas are increasing and as of 4 p.m. CST more than 8,40,000 people remained without power, according to data from PowerOut.us. Louisiana is experiencing worst of outs with almost 6,00,000 people without electricity.

Videos shared on social media showed that wind blew out dozens of windows in high-rise office buildings, including 22-story CapitalOne tower, ripped top off a sky bridge, and tipped an R.V. on its side. whistling winds mimicked alarm-like sounds that could be heard inside buildings, according to videos on social media.

Laura damd key transmission lines, conductors and some transmission towers that handle bringing power from east. KHOU-TV said that power utility is asking customers in western area rth of Houston to voluntarily curtail ir power us to help infrastructure. In Lake Charles, a regional hub kwn for its petrochemical plants and crowded casis, commercial buildings were peeled apart, exposing insulation and wood frames. Billboards were punched out and trees snapped in half.

fire broke out Thursday morning at a chemical plant in Westlake, local authorities said, sending thick smoke over a wide area and prompting shelter-in-place directives for residents in communities of Westlake, Moss Bluff and Sulphur. Mayor Robert Hardey of Westlake said fire was burning at a plant operated by BioLab, a subsidiary of Kik Custom Products, which makes cleaners, antifreeze and or chemical products. A spokesman for parent company confirmed in a statement that fire was result of storm dam.

Meanwhile, Texas Goverr Greg Abbott said Thursday that his state dodged a bullet. He said re were still confirmed fatalities in Texas nearly 12 hours after Laura me landfall and his state appeared to have me it through storm with minimal or loss of life, which he said was a "miracle." Abbott toured affected areas of East Texas Thursday and described seeing roofs sheared off buildings and uprooted trees following an aerial tour of dam near ir shared border.

Abbott said about 8,500 people were served in Texas shelters. He said state minimized potential loss of life because residents in storm's path heeded local vance warnings to evacuate. Hurricane Laura me landfall overnight near Cameron, Louisiana, bringing "catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding" to portions of state, National Hurricane Center said Thursday. storm h intensified rapidly into a Category 4 hurricane before slamming into Gulf Coast near Louisiana-Texas border.

By mid-Thursday, hurricane weakened to a tropical storm as it moved rth over Louisiana, which took brunt of dam. It was continuing to bring strong winds and flooding rainfall to rrn Louisiana and souastern Arkansas, according to forecasters. High water levels were persisting along Gulf Coast. Tornoes are possible through Thursday night in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. 

(Im Credits: AP)