Early Thursday morning, Hurricane Laura made landfall near Cameron, Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane. The storm left at least 14 dead and more than 910,000 homes and businesses without power. Communities in the path of the storm suffered extensive damage, including downed power lines, snapped trees, and structural damage to businesses and homes. With maximum wind speeds of 150 mph, and storm surge from 12 to 21 feet, the hurricane was one of the worst to ever hit the United States Gulf coast.

The COVID-19 pandemic complicated the already difficult situation. Testing was halted in many areas in the path of the storm, and although 1.5 million people were under evacuation orders, fewer shelters were available due to concerns about a lack of social distancing. Both Texas and Louisiana evacuated many to hotels so guidelines could be observed.

Lake Charles, Louisiana, was directly in the path of the storm. The city experienced significant damage, and wind gusts reached up to 137 miles per hour. The mayor of the city, Nic Hunter, described some buildings downtown as looking like “Swiss cheese.” The city also suffered damage to its utilities. Damage to water systems in the city has eliminated most water service. Lake Charles City Administrator John Cardone said, "We've got some plants that are open, but it's not enough to serve the entire city.”

Hurricane Laura worsened at a surprisingly fast rate, something the National Hurricane Center calls “rapid intensification.” Scientists say this is partially caused by an increase in ocean temperatures, a side effect of global warming. This can make preparing for hurricanes more challenging, as residents and officials have less time to respond. James Kossin is the lead author of a new study on this topic. “We have high confidence that there is a human fingerprint on these changes,” he said.