91Èȱ¬

Hurricane Laura has caused flash flooding and power cuts as it hit the US state of Louisiana around midnight local time (6:00am in the UK).

Half a million people, in Texas and Louisiana, were told to evacuate their homes to escape the impact of the huge storm.

The category four hurricane made landfall - when the centre of the storm hit the coast - at 1:00am local time (7:00am in the UK), in Louisiana with wind speeds reaching around 150 miles per hour. By 4am it had been downgraded to category three storm, with wind speeds still reaching an enormous 130 miles per hour.

Hurricane Laura is one of the strongest storms to ever hit the US Gulf Coast.

The storm has now been downgraded further to category two and is expected to weaken as it moves inland.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has been issuing warnings about Laura, calling it a "formidable hurricane" and saying it will bring "life-threatening hazards" and an "unsurvivable storm surge" to parts of the coast.

A slight change in wind direction meant the water surge wasn't as high as many feared, but levels of 2.7m (9ft) were still recorded in some parts. The surge will also reach around 40 miles in land, and the waters, "would not recede for several days".

The NHC has warned that Hurricane Laura could cause major damage to homes; trees could be snapped or uprooted and electricity and water is likely be unavailable for days or even weeks.

More than 390,000 homes in Louisiana reportedly lost power in the early hours on Thursday morning. In Texas, more than 100,000 homes had power cuts.

US President Donald Trump has warned people who will be affected by the storm to "listen to local officials" as the storm was "very dangerous and rapidly intensifying".

Earlier this week, Laura was joined by another storm, called Marco, as it passed through the Caribbean causing the deaths of 24 people.

The Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott said: "The power of Hurricane Laura is unprecedented, and Texans must take action now to get out of harm's way and protect themselves," he said.

The NHC warned any residents remaining in or near the path of the "catastrophic" storm to "take action now to protect your life... in a reinforced interior room away from windows".

"Get under a table or other piece of sturdy furniture," the NHC said, adding: "Use mattresses, blankets or pillows to cover your head and body."

Evacuation is a little bit more complicated than normal at the moment because of the current coronavirus pandemic.

Governor Abbott asked families who could afford it to take refuge in hotels to be distanced from others.