Hurricane Delta has made landfall as a Category 2 storm in southwestern Louisiana in the United States. The center of the storm hit land near Creole on Friday, with top winds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It has weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moves inland along the state’s southwestern coast.
Delta blew ashore in an area where devastation remains widely evident from Hurricane Laura, which caused at least 27 deaths in late August.
Schools and government offices closed and residents boarded windows and moved out of the storm’s path, as officials ordered evacuations in southwest Louisiana communities. Piles of wreckage could go flying and many homes remain unrepaired, with only blue-tarped roofs in place to withstand the fury of yet another hurricane.
There’s also the danger of flooding, with about 5.5 million people under flash flood watches from Louisiana through southwest Tennessee.
“The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast near and to the east of the landfall location where the surge will be accompanied by large and dangerous waves,” the National Hurricane Center said.
Delta is the tenth named storm to hit the continental United States this year, breaking a century-old record. It is also the fourth hurricane or tropical storm to hit Louisiana in a year – tying a 2002 record.
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