Hurricane Laura downgraded to a tropical storm, with winds of 70 miles per hour, after making landfall as a Category 4 in southwestern Louisiana, near the Texas border, around 2 a.m. EDT. It brought with it storm surges defined by experts as "impossible to survive" and winds that can cause "catastrophic damage."
It is one of the most devastating hurricanes to hit the United States and it is still extremely dangerous , experts warn.
Laura is also the most intense hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana in 164 years.
The point at which Laura made landfall is near Cameron, Louisiana. The hurricane now has maximum sustained winds of 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers per hour), after reaching category 5 (starting at 157 miles per hour). It is expected to weaken to a tropical storm throughout Thursday.
Ground zero devastation in Louisiana where Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4
Aug. 27, 202001: 56However, tornadoes are possible in parts of Louisiana, Arkansas, and western Mississippi.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Thursday morning that winds, rains and flooding are spreading inland through western and central Louisiana, and that catastrophic storm surges remain largely part of the coast.
President Donald Trump, who is expected to speak Thursday night at the Republican National Convention, will go to the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) this afternoon to be briefed on the hurricane. White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told NBC News.
Hurricane Laura's planned path across the United States NBC News
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said this morning in an interview with Telemundo's sister network MSNBC that at least one person died after the hurricane . The victim is a 14-year-old teenager.
In Iota, Acadia Sheriff KP Gibson confirmed the death of a 60-year-old man also by falling from a tree.
No deaths have been reported in Texas , according to Gov. Greg Abbott.
In both states there are more than 500,000 people without electricity.
Videos on social media show strong winds and rain slamming into a tall building in Lake Charles, Louisiana, smashing windows and throwing glass and debris into the air and onto the ground .
A building destroyed after the eye of Hurricane Laura passed through southwestern Louisiana early Thursday morning AFP via Getty Images / AFP via Getty Images
The authorities had implored in the preceding hours the inhabitants of the most affected area, on the coasts of Louisiana and Texas , to seek refuge in safer places. More than half a million people received evacuation orders. However, not all did, according to The Associated Press news agency.
Meteorologists warned that the winds that are approaching that area can destroy buildings, uproot trees and throw vehicles like toys. Expected storm surges could reach 20 feet (six meters) high. The possibility of tornadoes is also anticipated.
Laura's winds are expected to spread well inland in East Texas as well, according to the NHC.
"It looks like it's in total beast mode , which is not what you would want to see when you're on your way," said Laura Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected by power outages in Louisiana and Texas.
Homeland Security Secretary Alex Azar has issued an emergency declaration for Louisiana and Texas as Laura draws closer.
In Lake Charles, some people who were not evacuated are asking for help. "People are calling but there is no way to reach them," Tony Guillory, chairman of the Calcasieu parish police jury, told AP by phone. takes refuge in a city government building.
Guillory said he hopes the stranded people can be rescued later Thursday, but fears that blocked roads, downed power lines and flooding caused by Laura will get in the way. Officials added that search and rescue missions and damage assessments would begin when conditions allowed.
The governor of Louisiana assured that the state closed Interstate 10, from the area around the Atchafalaya Bridge on the outskirts of Lafayette to part of Texas, because several sections within that area are expected to flood.
Some of the people who decided to leave their homes to take refuge on Wednesday found themselves without a place to stay, according to the AP. Texas authorities avoided opening massive shelters due to fears that coronavirus infections could occur, as the pandemic still raises much concern in the area.
Hundreds of Latino workers in Louisiana fail to evacuate before Laura's arrival
Aug. 26, 202002: 23The evacuees were then assigned to hotels, but several found themselves without a place in Austin and on the outskirts of Dallas. KXAN, a local NBC affiliate, reported Wednesday afternoon that Austin authorities planned to open a congress center as a refuge for people in need.
The National Hurricane Center forecasts that Laura's eye will move over northwestern Louisiana on Thursday, through Arkansas at night and over the central Mississippi Valley on Friday.
Laura came to the United States after killing nearly two dozen people on the island of Hispaniola , including 20 in Haiti and three in the Dominican Republic, where she caused power outages and caused severe flooding.
With information from NBC News, AP, KXAN and CNN.