At least 4 dead in Louisiana after Hurricane Laura uprooted trees, smashed homes

A 14-year-old Louisiana girl was among at least four people killed Thursday by trees crashing into their homes during Hurricane Laura, multiple outlets have reported.

A spokesperson for Gov. John Bel Edwards office said the 14-year-old was the first reported death caused by the Category 4 storm, which barreled into southwest Louisiana and coastal Texas overnight, according to WWL.

“We do expect that there could be more fatalities,” spokesperson Christina Stephens told the station. And there have been.

As search and rescue crews continue to work, the death toll will likely climb, Edwards said during an afternoon press conference.

The girl’s identity hasn’t been released but officials say she lived in Vernon Parish.

A 60-year-old man also died after a tree fell on him during the storm, Acadia Parrish Sheriff K.P. Gibson told KLFY.

Little information is available about the other two fatalities.

As of 10 a.m. CST, Laura has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm more than eight hours after making landfall early Thursday. The powerful system will continue to weaken as it moves further inland, but damaging winds and dangerous flash flooding are still expected across parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is currently traveling north at 16 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph. Storm surge warnings remain in effect for much of the Gulf Coast region.

“The heavy rainfall threat and flash and urban flooding potential will spread northeastward into middle-Mississippi, lower Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, and Mid-Atlantic states Friday and Saturday,” forecasters say.

Gov. Edwards is scheduled to hold a news conference Thursday afternoon, WAFB reported.