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Hurricane Laura live updates

 

Hurricane Laura live updates: Storm slams into Gulf Coast, 500K residents without power

Hurricane Laura is barreling inland across the southeastern United States as a powerful tempest with an "unsurvivable storm surge" expected in some areas, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm made landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border early Thursday as a Category 4 major hurricane with a maximum sustained wind speed of 150 mph.

"Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage from Sea Rim State Park, Texas, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana, including Calcasieu and Sabine Lakes," the weather service said in a statement early Thursday. "This surge could penetrate up to 30 miles inland from the immediate coastline. Only a few hours remain to protect life and property and all actions should be rushed to completion."

Parts of eastern Texas and western Louisiana are forecast to see "catastrophic wind damage," especially in places where the storm's eyewall came ashore, the National Hurricane Center said. Residents in affected areas were urged to evacuate and brace for damaging winds and flooding rainfall that will spread well inland across parts of those areas.

Here's how the news is developing today. All times Eastern. Please refresh this page for updates.

10:37 a.m.: 634,021 customers without power in Louisiana and Texas

The number of people without power in Louisiana and Texas continued to climb Thursday morning as Hurricane Laura churned further inland.

By 10:33 a.m. Eastern Time, there were 507,262 customers without power in Louisiana and 126,759 customers without power in Texas, according to PowerOutage.US.

PHOTO: A street is seen strewn with debris and downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through Lake Charles, La., Aug, 27, 2020. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Images from the affected areas show dozens of downed power lines, debris strewn in the streets and damaged buildings with blown-out windows.

10:24 a.m.: Hurricane Laura weakens to a Category 1 with a 'life-threatening storm surge'

Hurricane Laura is now a Category 1 storm, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

However, damaging winds and flooding rainfall are still spreading inland over western and central Louisiana, while a "life-threatening storm surge continues along much of the Louisiana coastline," the weather service warned in its forecast at 9 a.m. Central Time.

9:41 a.m.: Louisiana governor reports 1st known storm-related death

A 14-year-old girl in Louisiana is the first known fatality from Hurricane Laura, according to Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards.

Edwards confirmed the death during an interview Thursday morning with MSNBC, saying that the girl died when a tree fell on her home in the Leesville area.

"I suspect that won't be the last, though I pray we don't have any more," Edwards told MSNBC. "But we know we have at least one fatality now in Louisiana."

The governor's communications director, Mike Steel, later confirmed the death to ABC News.

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