Hurricane Laura - Huge chemical fire spews toxic chlorine gas over Louisiana and at least four dead as Mike Pence is blasted for empty offer of prayers
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Your support makes all the difference.Hurricane Laura strengthened into a Category 4 storm before it made landfall in Louisiana early on Thursday.
The storm arrived with sustained 150mph winds, and officials had warned it would bring an "unsurvivable" storm surge as high as 20ft for coastal areas.
Authorities had urged residents on the coast to evacuate, but not everyone did before the storm hit.
Four fatalities have been reported, including a 14-year-old girl. More than 825,000 homes and businesses are without power.
A fire is burning at a chemical plant near the city of Westlake, with the governor of Louisiana instructing people to stay indoors and turn off their air conditioning.
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People worry about Covid-19 risk in shelters
Eric Daw, who lives in Port Arthur, Texas, was among those who left their homes ahead of the arrival of Laura.
Speaking to Reuters at a petrol station, Mr Daw said he had intended to leave earlier but was waiting on a disability payment to buy petrol.
His plan was to drive almost five hours to a shelter in San Antonio, where he was concerned about how difficult social distancing would be.
"They say we are all supposed to socially distance now," he said. "But how am I supposed to socially distance in a shelter?"
Laura seventh named storm to strike US mainland this year, breaking record
Hurricane Laura is the seventh named storm to make landfall in the US in 2020, a record for the first eight months of any year.
In a tweet, Philip Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, said the previous record was six in both 1886 and 1916.
The named storms that have reached the US mainland this year are: Bertha, Cristobal, Fay, Hanna, Isaias and Marco.
People who did not evacuate seeking assistance, says official
A parish official in Louisiana has confirmed that some people who did not evacuate their homes before the arrival of Hurricane Laura have been calling authorities to ask for help.
Tony Guillory, president of Calcasieu Parish's police jury, made the comments in a phone call from a government building in Lake Charles, which is roughly 45 miles from where the storm made landfall.
"People are calling the building but there ain't no way to get to them," he told AP.
Mr Guillory added that flooding and damaged power lines could hamper rescue efforts later on Thursday.
Gust of 132 mph recorded in Louisiana, says National Hurricane Center
The National Hurricane Centre (NHC) has said in an early morning bulletin on Thursday that a wind speed of 132 mph has been recorded in Louisiana.
In the two hours after Hurricane Laura first hit the mainland, the city of Lake Charles, Louisiana, saw sustained winds of 98mph and a gust of 132 mph.
"The eyewall of Laura will continue to move inland across southwestern Louisiana during the next several hours," the NHC said in the message at 3am local time (CDT).
"TAKE COVER NOW!" the statement added.
Video shows Hurricane Laura making landfall in south-west Louisiana
Hurricane Laura batters buildings in Louisiana
A video posted on social media shows the damage caused to a tall building in the city of Lake Charles by Hurricane Laura's strong winds, as the storm rages across southwestern Louisiana on Thursday morning.
Smashed windows can be seen and debris is carried into the air in the city, which is located less than 50 miles from the small town of Cameron, where the storm first hit the US coastline.
Other pieces of footage show a large vehicle blowing over onto its side and road signs bending in the wind.
Almost 300,000 homes and businesses are not without power in the states of Louisiana and Texas.
Hurricane Laura weakens to category 3 storm
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has said that Hurricane Laura has weakened to a category 3 storm as it heads through Louisiana.
In its latest bulletin, the NHC reported maximum sustained wind speeds of 120 mph, saying that it expects the storm to decrease in strength as it gets further inland.
The hurricane is travelling north at approximately 15 mph, the statement added.
Storm surge could reach 40 miles inland, says NHC
Water could travel 40 miles inland in a storm surge and may not recede for a few days, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned.
The NHC said in its 30th advisory note that the "unsurvivable storm surge" will cause "catastrophic" damage in some areas of Texas and Louisiana.
"Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes," part of the message read.
Sheriff in Louisiana gives stark warning
The sheriff's office in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, has given a stark message to those choosing to stay in the area during Hurricane Laura.
In a Facebook message posted on Wednesday, the Vermilion Parish Sheriff's Office said that rescue efforts would not be launched until after the storm and surge had passed.
"If you choose to stay and we can't get to you, write your name, address, social security number and next of kin and put it a ziplock bag in your pocket," the statement added.
The parish is located just to the east of where the storm first hit the Louisiana coast early on Thursday morning.
Forecasters warn that some areas will be 'uninhabitable for weeks or months'
The National Weather Service in Lake Charles, Louisiana, has said that certain areas will be "uninhabitable for weeks or months" in the wake of Hurricane Laura.
Forecasters also warned that the storm would lead to the "complete destruction" of mobile homes and that buildings in some communities could be washed away by floodwater.
Before the hurricane hit the US coast, John Bel Edwards, the governor of Louisiana, tweeted that "this is a time for all of us to be praying for the best, while we're prepared for the worst."
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