LEESVILLE, La. — Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state’s first reported fatality from Hurricane Laura is a 14-year-old girl who died when a tree fell on her home in Leesville, Louisiana.
The city is more than 100 miles inland.
Photos: Hurricane Laura - Landfall and Aftermath
The governors of Louisiana and Texas said search and rescue teams are still looking, but they have found no reports so far of widespread fatalities.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott credited the evacuations of thousands of people for preventing deaths in Texas.
.@LouisianaGov says he got the report of the first fatality from Hurricane Laura in Louisiana. A 14 year old girl who died when a tree fell on her home. We do expect that there could be more fatalities.
— Christina “MASK UP” Stephens (@CEStephens) August 27, 2020
FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor said damage seems to be less than what they had feared.
Gaynor told ABC’s “Good Morning America” that the surge turned out to be less than what was forecast, but he expects significant wind damage to buildings once they do proper surveys of the disaster area.
The eye of the hurricane has continued to move about 100 miles north along the Texas-Louisiana state line.
Click here to see the storm’s aftermath.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Read: ‘This storm is more powerful’: Hurricane Laura tears through parts of Louisiana, Texas
Cox Media Group
