LAKE CHARLES, La. — Two more deaths were confirmed as a result of Hurricane Laura Saturday, bringing the total to 16 killed by the storm.
With the addition of the two victims reported by Gov. John Bel Edwards via Twitter Saturday morning, Louisiana lost 12 residents during the storm. At least four people in Texas were also killed.
According to the governor's tweet, they died from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a generator inside their home.
At least seven of Louisiana's victims died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
The system that blasted the Louisiana coast with high winds and heavy rain is now a tropical depression. It came ashore early Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane and caused widespread damage around Lake Charles. The storm left entire neighborhoods in ruins and almost 900,000 homes and businesses without power.
Laura is the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. this year. But there was relief that it was not the annihilating menace forecasters had feared. A full damage assessment is likely to take days.
President Donald Trump is expected to land in Louisiana Saturday afternoon to tour the Lake Charles area and assess the damage. He approved a major disaster declaration for Louisiana Friday.
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