Hurricane Laura strengthened into a Category 4 storm before it made landfall in Louisiana early on Thursday.
The storm arrived with sustained 150mph winds, and officials had warned it would bring an "unsurvivable" storm surge as high as 20ft for coastal areas.
Authorities had urged residents on the coast to evacuate, but not everyone did before the storm hit.
Three fatalities have been reported as of midday on Thursday, including a 14-year-old girl. More than 725,000 homes and businesses are without power.
A fire is burning at a chemical plant near the city of Westlake, with the governor of Louisiana instructing people to stay indoors and turn off their air conditioning.
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Pence blasted for offering prayers
Pence offers 'prayers' to those threatened by Hurricane Laura while RNC scorns climate action
Rising global temperatures is likely to increase 'the number of very intense hurricanes' while 'rising sea level will increase the threat of storm surge', according to NOAA, a federal agency
Trump approves Arkansas emergency declaration
President Donald Trump has approved an emergency declaration for Arkansas that allows the state to seek federal assistance in deadline with the effects of Hurricane Laura, now downgraded to a tropical storm.
The federal government will cover 75 per cent of the cost of emergency protective measures and direct federal assistance.
Laura downgraded to a tropical storm
Laura has been downgraded back to tropical storm status, but sustained wind speeds remain at 70mph.
The system continues to move north at 15mph and has crossed into Arkansas. It is still a large and dangerous storm with heavy rainfall and gusty winds. Flooding remains a concern.
Officially, Laura was classified as a hurricane for 54 hours — much of that as a major hurricane
Emergency technicians working on chlorine leak at Westlake plant
Louisiana State Police have confirmed that their emergency services unit's technicians are working to help get the chemical leak at the plant in Westlake under control.
Personnel are coordinating with the management of the BioLab facility to deal with the chlorine leak.
They urge local residents to shelter in place and traffic is being diverted off I-10 in the vicinity of the incident.
Nervous flyers, look away
Video shows plane flying through Hurricane Laura
Crew remain composed despite major turbulenceRiverboat casino breaks free, gets stuck under bridge
The Isle of Capri’s riverboat casino broke from its mooring during Hurricane Laura and is stuck against the Interstate 10 bridge in Lake Charles, Louisiana State Police Major Doug Cain reports.
The casino says its Grand Palais riverboat houses 34 table games and more than 1,175 slot machines.
Chemical fire continues to burn
The large chemical fire that has sent a dangerous cloud over Lake Charles, Louisiana, following Hurricane Laura passing directly over the city, continues to burn.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards says the fire was burning Thursday morning just outside the city, and he is advising storm survivors to shelter in place.
Mr Edwards tweeted that people “in the Westlake/Moss Bluff/Sulphur area” should close their windows and doors and turn off their air conditioning units.
Associated Press
Louisiana death toll rises to three
A spokesperson for the state of Louisiana has told CNN that two more deaths have been confirmed in the wake of Hurricane Laura.
A 60-year-old man died in Acadia parish, and another man in Jackson parish, after trees fell onto the houses in which they were riding out the storm.
Over 700,000 without power across region
According to the latest figures from PowerOutage.us, which aggregates power cuts across the United States, almost 725,000 customers have no electricity in Texas and Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Laura.
In Louisiana the figure is 585,096, and in Texas it is 139,556.
More on the convoy of first responders heading through Texas
Footage of Hurricane Laura pounding Lake Charles with extreme winds
Latest key message for Hurricane Laura
Multiple reports of fire at chemical plant in Westlake, Louisiana
Hurricane Laura causes ‘extremely dangerous’ spill at Louisiana chemical plant
The spill has flowed over the I-10, the cross-country highway connecting the southern states from Florida to California
More images emerge of damage in Lake Charles
Hurricane topples Confederate monument in Lake Charles
White House releases statement on Hurricane Laura
Statement from the Press Secretary on Response to Hurricane Laura
Hurricane Laura made landfall around 1am over Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 Major Hurricane with 150 mph winds. Hurricane Laura continues moving north affecting the states of Louisiana, Texas, and Arkansas. As we begin to assess the damage, please continue to heed the warnings and instructions of your State and local officials as storm hazards will persist long after the storm has passed.
Hurricane Laura remains a deadly hurricane with devastating coastal storm surges, destructive winds, and flash flooding. President Donald J Trump was briefed earlier this week by Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf and Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Peter Gaynor on the status of Hurricane Laura and the proactive preparations taken by the Administration, and he has continued to receive regular updates about the conditions on the ground. President Trump is committed to deploying the full resources of the Federal Government to rescue those in distress, support those in the region affected, and restore disruptions to our communities and infrastructure.
Dramatic Weather Channel graphics show why the storm surge was described as "unsurvivable". As yet, the worst case scenario appears to have been avoided.
Weather Channel issues stark depiction of what 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Laura might look like
Flood water gradually reaches way above the height of the weather presenter on an animated map
Huge line of first responder vehicles heading to Texas coast
A line of dozens of first responder vehicles is heading towards Port Arthur, Texas, from across the state.
Tornado watch in effect from New Orleans to Little Rock
As Hurricane Laura moves inland, the National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for a swathe of counties across three states, stretching from New Orleans to Little Rock. The alert is in place until 4pm CDT.
Aerial footage of the damage to Lake Charles, Louisiana
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