Hurricane Laura hits Louisiana and heads for Texas

Deemed "extremely dangerous," Hurricane Laura hit the US state of Louisiana on Thursday, US weather services said, which ranked it in category four on a scale of five.

"The extremely dangerous hurricane Laura, category 4, made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana" with winds blowing up to 240 kilometers per hour, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest report released at 1 hour (- GMT hours).

Louisiana already traumatized by Katrina

“Hurricane Laura is very dangerous and is intensifying rapidly. Listen to local officials. We are with you ! President Donald Trump tweeted.

Hurricane Laura is a very dangerous and rapidly intensifying hurricane. My Administration remains fully engaged with state & local emergency managers to continue preparing and assisting the great people Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. Listen to local officials. We are with you! pic.twitter.com/x0JoijLUpb

Vice President Mike Pence, speaking at the Republican convention, urged those concerned to "heed national and local authorities". “My prayers are with you tonight. Our government is working in close collaboration with the authorities of the states that will be affected, ”he added.

"You only have a few hours to prepare and evacuate," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards warned on Twitter on Wednesday. His state remains traumatized by Katrina, a hurricane of category 5, the highest, which had inundated 80% of the city of New Orleans and left a thousand dead, 15 years ago almost to the day.

You only have a few hours to prepare and evacuate for #HurricaneLaura. Wherever you are by noon is where you'll have to ride out the storm. Be smart and be safe. #lagov #lawx #Laura pic.twitter.com/oAAkwGQsC6

National Guard deployed to Texas

In neighboring Texas, already struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic, the governor urged residents to take shelter. "Your belongings can be replaced, not your life," he warned the Weather Channel. The National Guard said it has mobilized more than a thousand members in Texas to help meet the needs, including 20 planes and more than 15 teams tasked with organizing shelters.

Among the cities potentially in the path of the cyclone and placed under mandatory evacuation orders were Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas, which already suffered heavy damage from Hurricane Harvey three years ago. The hurricane season in the Atlantic, which officially lasts from June 1 to November 30, promises to be particularly intense this year. The National Hurricane Center expects 25 lows. Laura is already the twelfth.

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