Skip links

Skip to Content
play

Live

Navigation menu

  • News
    • Middle East
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Ukraine war
  • Features
  • Economy
  • Opinion
  • Video
    • Coronavirus
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Sports
    • Podcasts
play

Live

In Pictures

Gallery|Climate Crisis

In Pictures: Hurricane Laura’s winds cause widespread damage

Hurricane Laura raked across Louisiana in the southern US becoming one of the most powerful storms to hit the state.

Windows shattered at an office building after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Hurricane Laura raked across Louisiana early on Thursday, beco
Windows shattered at an office building after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana. [Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg]
Published On 27 Aug 202027 Aug 2020
facebooktwitterwhatsapp

Hurricane Laura ripped through southwestern Louisiana early on Thursday, destroying buildings in the city of Lake Charles and killing a 14-year-old girl after making landfall in the early morning as one of the most powerful storms to hit the southern US state.

The hurricane’s first reported US fatality was a 14-year-old girl in Leesville, Louisiana, who died when a tree fell on her house, a spokeswoman for Governor John Bel Edwards said.

“We do expect that there could be more fatalities,” Edwards’s spokeswoman, Christina Stephens, said on Twitter.

A chemical plant caught fire in Laura’s wake on Thursday morning in Westlake, Louisiana, 6.4 kilometres (four miles) west of Lake Charles, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky over the wind-torn landscape near the Interstate 10 highway in the region.

Governor Edwards warned residents in the area to shelter in place, close doors and windows and turn off air conditioners as authorities investigated. Traffic was blocked on the interstate and Highway 90.

Residents of Lake Charles heard Laura’s winds howling and the sound of breaking glass as the storm passed through the city of 78,000 with winds of 85 miles per hour (137 km per hour) and gusts up to 128 mph (206 kph) in the hour after landfall.

The windows of the city’s 22-floor Capital One Tower were blown out, street signs were toppled and pieces of wooden fence and debris from collapsed buildings lay scattered in the flooded streets, video footage on Twitter and Snapchat showed.

President Donald Trump on Thursday approved an emergency declaration for Arkansas, the White House said, authorising federal officials to coordinate relief efforts and freeing up federal funds. He had approved an emergency declaration for Texas on Monday.

Around 650,000 homes and businesses in Louisiana and Texas were without power early on Thursday, and local utilities in the storm’s path warned outage numbers would climb as the storm marched inland.

Smoke is seen rising from what is reported to be a chemical plant fire after Hurricane Laura passed through the area on August 27, 2020 in Lake Charles, Louisiana . The hurricane hit with powerful win
Smoke is seen rising from what is reported to be a chemical plant fire after Hurricane Laura passed through the area in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The governor asked residents to shelter in place. [Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP]
Advertisement
Chris Johnson views destruction at his home on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Lake Charles, La., after Hurricane Laura moved through the state. Johnson stayed in his home as the storm passed. (AP Photo/G
Chris Johnson views destruction at his home in Lake Charles after Hurricane Laura moved through the state. Johnson stayed in his home as the storm passed, despite evacuation orders. [Gerald Herbert/AP Photo]
Escalators in an office building lobby damaged after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Hurricane Laura raked across Louisiana early on Thursda
Hurricane Laura raked across Louisiana early on Thursday, becoming one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the state with a "catastrophic storm surge," flash floods and devastating winds. [Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg]
Reginald Duhon prepares to work at his home on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, in Lake Charles, La., after Hurricane Laura moved through the state. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Reginald Duhon prepares to work at his home in Lake Charles, after Hurricane Laura moved through the state. [Gerald Herbert/AP Photo]
An uprooted blocks a sidewalk after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Hurricane Laura raked across Louisiana early on Thursday, becoming one o
Laura earlier caused flooding in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, killing at least 25 people. [Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg]
A man raises an American flag after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Hurricane Laura raked across Louisiana early on Thursday, becoming one o
A man raises an American flag after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana. [Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg]
Advertisement
A resident surveys damage inflicted after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Hurricane Laura raked across Louisiana early on Thursday, becoming
The hurricane hit with powerful winds causing extensive damage to the city. [Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg]
LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA - AUGUST 27:A Lake Charles police officer helps clear the streets in the downtown area after Hurricane Laura passed through on August 27, 2020 in Lake Charles, Louisiana . The
A Lake Charles police officer helps clear the streets in the downtown area after Hurricane Laura passed through damaging many structures and downing trees. [Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP]
Downed power lines are seen on Highway 90 after Hurricane Laura passed through Iowa, Louisiana, U.S. August 27, 2020. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage
Downed power lines are seen on Highway 90 after Hurricane Laura passed through Iowa, Louisiana. [Elijah Nouvelage/Reuters]
Damaged traffic signals lay in a road after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles, Louisiana, U.S., on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. Hurricane Laura raked across Louisiana early on Thursday, becomi
Damaged traffic signals lay on a road after Hurricane Laura made landfall in Lake Charles. [ Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg]

msnbcc.me | drakor.tech | vivik.me | cacay.me | newsi.me | get5.me | newsa.me | ustrend.me | get7.me | mynew.works | dramaa.tech | virals.social | iday.tech | newday.social | footballs.works | chatwhatsapp.tech | hdvideoo.me | 1news.tech | damkacsn.com | harian24.me | beritax.tech | ustoday.cyou | aljazeeras.live | buzzfeednew.tech | dailysport.me | voxnews.tech | newsweeks.live | sky-news.me | worldnewss.tech

    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Community Guidelines
    • Work for us
    • HR Quality
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise with us
    • Apps
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2023 Al Jazeera Media Network