Hurricane Laura Slams Louisiana, Homeland Security Chief Says Storm Still Dangerous

Official says people who didn't evacuate should put name in plastic bag in pocket

A street is seen strewn with debris and downed power lines after Hurricane Laura passed through the area in Lake Charles, La., on August 27, 2020. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Hurricane Laura made landfall on Thursday in southwestern Louisiana, bringing catastrophic storm surge to southern Louisiana’s coast.

The storm hit the state as a Category 4 storm but later was downgraded to a Category 1 later in the day, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) at 9 a.m. The NHC said that the threat of possibly deadly storm surge will continue along the Louisiana coast as Laura moved north.