• Hurricane Laura towards category 4: citizens fleeing the American coasts
  • Hurricane Marco loses power but is still dangerous, Laura reinforces and targets Louisiana
  • Haiti on alert for storm Laura, "ready to evacuate"

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August 27, 2020 With winds exceeding 240 kilometers per hour, Hurricane Laura is approaching category 5 and in a few hours it will hit the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.

Laura is "a formidable hurricane" that could raise storm waves "that cannot be survived", with extreme winds and instant flooding, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned. Waves up to six meters high could pour into the coasts and penetrate inland for tens of kilometers, the NHC explained.

Louisiana on Monday had already been hit by tropical storm Marco with strong winds and torrential rains. Evacuations are made more complicated by the Covid-19 emergency. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has urged families to find shelter in hotels and motels to encourage social distancing.