Hurricane Laura Kills 14-Year-Old Girl, Leaves Over Half a Million Without Power

Hurricane Laura tragically claimed the life of a 14-year-old girl after a tree fell down onto her family’s home. Reported as the first fatality by Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, the incident was said to occur in Leesville, which resides about 25 miles from the Texas border. The storm also left millions without power.

The storm made landfall on Thursday morning as a Category 4 hurricane, which was one of the strongest to ever hit the state. At that point, winds were hitting the area at 150 mph, knocking down everything in sight from trees to power lines and cutting through buildings. As of Sunday, the death toll in the state from the storm was up to 14. With power remaining an issue, early reports suggest it may take up to a month for some to regain electricity in their homes. Entergy is the largest electric provider in Louisiana and is said to have 170 major transmissions wiped out from the storm.

“We have a long road ahead of us,” Edwards said on Sunday during a briefing. “The recovery is going to take a while and it is going to take a lot of effort.” He, along with other experts, has noted that the state did miss out on the potential disaster that would have come had the storm shaped into a Category 5 hurricane. Though Edwards notes the damage is “tremendous,” it did not reach the projection they had as the storm closed in on landfall, “We are in better shape today than might have been the case.”

On Saturday, President Donald Trump landed in the state after boarding the Air Force One. He toured various parts of the state that were ripped through by the storm. Calling it a “tremendously powerful storm,” Trump, who is preparing to take on Joe Biden in the November presidential election, said that he is prepared to provide supplies and support in the state’s recovery. He also signed a disaster declaration to help speed up relief funds for the area.