The U.S. death toll from Hurricane Laura more than doubled on Friday to at least 14. At least 10 people died in Louisiana and at least four died in Texas, most by trees falling on homes or by carbon monoxide poisoning from generators.
The scope of the destruction is overwhelming. Hundreds of thousands are still without power or water, and those services could be knocked out for weeks or longer in the hardest-hit areas.
Customs officers went door to door looking for survivors. The hurricane is blamed for at least 10 deaths in Louisiana and four in Texas, where are least three people died from carbon monoxide poisoning after the storm.
One of the hardest hit areas was Lake Charles, Louisiana – where one building had hundreds of windows blown out, and Betheny Agosto rode out the storm in her closet.
“There was four of us, it was like a jigsaw puzzle in this closet,” she told CBS News. “We were on top of each other, just holding each other crying.”
Michele and Eric Trahan’s dream home is torn in two. The roof was sheared off and is now sitting behind the house.
The wind and pressure were so strong, they seemingly sucked the curtains right out of the windows. Now, they face the daunting task of rebuilding.
“I walked out this morning… and there was a rainbow – and I thought, ‘This is going to be okay,'” Michele said tearfully.
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