Hurricane Hits US Mainland... Strong Wind Damage and Power Outages Spread

A truck is overturned in Texas on the 27th due to strong winds caused by Hurricane Laura.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The super typhoon hurricane 'Laura' made landfall in Louisiana, southern United States, in the early morning of the 27th (local time). Although Laura weakened from Category 4 to Category 1 upon landfall, it is estimated that considerable damage occurred as it brought strong winds of 240 km/h at the time of landfall.

Laura, which was a Category 4 hurricane, was downgraded to Category 2 after landfall but still demonstrated power with strong winds of 170 km/h. It is currently moving toward Arkansas and has weakened again to Category 1.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) explained that the winds were stronger than those of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the southern United States in 2005.

Due to power outages caused by Laura, as of the morning of the same day, 383,000 residents in Louisiana and 93,000 residents in Texas are without electricity.

The exact damage situation caused by Hurricane Laura is expected to be assessed once rescue operations begin.

John Bel Edwards, Governor of Louisiana, stated that there have been no reports of fatalities so far, but mentioned that "damage is severe throughout the state," and that helicopters have not been able to be dispatched to rescue isolated residents. He expressed concern that the damage from this hurricane could further worsen the COVID-19 situation.

Similarly, Greg Abbott, Governor of Texas, which was also affected by Laura, said, "Evacuations were completed before the hurricane arrived," and as a result of early response, no fatalities have been reported so far.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.