The death toll from Hurricane Laura rises to at least 14 in the US as hundreds of thousands of people are without electricity

Advertisement
The death toll from Hurricane Laura rises to at least 14 in the US as hundreds of thousands of people are without electricity
People trying to reach their homes in Cameron parish drive past downed power linesAndrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP/Getty Images
  • At least 14 people in the US have died in the wake of Hurricane Laura. Four were in Texas and 10 were in Louisiana.
  • More than 600,000 are without power and 220,000 without water in Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. Laura has been downgraded to a tropical depression, according to the National Hurricane Center.
  • Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards requested federal assistance on Friday. President Donald Trump is supposed to visit the area on Saturday.
Advertisement

After Hurricane Laura tore through the Texas and Louisiana coastline, hundreds of thousands of people were still without water and electricity, the Associated Press reported on Friday.

As of Friday, the death toll rose to at least 14 people in the US, 10 in Louisiana and four in Texas. The storm has since been downgraded to a tropical depression.

The death toll from Hurricane Laura rises to at least 14 in the US as hundreds of thousands of people are without electricity
Damaged homes sit among flood water after Hurricane Laura.Eric Thayer/Getty Images

Five people were killed by fallen trees and one person was found drowned in a boat. The remaining eight people died from carbon monoxide poisoning, a consequence of the unsafe operation of generators.

Three of those who died from carbon monoxide poisoning were inside a Texas pool hall, where the owner had let several Vietnamese shrimp boat laborers and homeless men take shelter from the hurricane, authorities said.

Thousands of people who evacuated returned to homes destroyed by the storm. Lawrence "Lee" Faulk, resident of Cameron Parish, was one of them.

Advertisement

Faulk came back to a home without a roof and downed power lines covered his street.

"We need help," Faulk told the Associated Press. "We need ice, water, blue tarps — everything that you would associate with the storm, we need it. Like two hours ago."

Thousands of people throughout Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas are facing similar situations.

The death toll from Hurricane Laura rises to at least 14 in the US as hundreds of thousands of people are without electricity
Destruction is seen after Hurricane Laura made landfall along the Texas-Louisiana border.Callaghan OHare/The Washington Post/Getty Image
More than 600,000 homes and businesses were without power in Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas, according to utility reports tracking, AP reported on Friday. And more than 220,000 are without access to water, according to estimates from the Louisiana Department of Health.

On Friday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards requested federal assistance, expediting a major disaster declaration for 23 parishes in Louisiana.

"Hurricane Laura is the fifth strongest storm to make landfall in the United States in recorded history, and the first in memory to maintain major hurricane strength as it traveled through Louisiana, bringing catastrophic destruction to many parishes," Edwards said in a statement.

Advertisement

The White House announced that President Donald Trump will visit some of the areas impacted by Hurricane Laura on Saturday.

{{}}