'We dodged a bullet' | Gov. Abbott says Hurricane Laura mostly spared Texas

ORANGE, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders toured areas of East Texas affected by Hurricane Laura. The storm made landfall early Thursday morning near Cameron, Louisiana, as a Category 4 storm.

“We dodged a bullet,” Gov. Abbott said. “But that doesn’t help those whose homes have been hit, whose businesses have been hi.”

The storm, which caused devastation in Louisiana, still caused significant damage across spots in Texas, including Orange, where KHOU’s Drone 11 flew over homes and businesses damaged by Laura.

As of today’s news conference, Gov. Abbott said 160,000 people were still without power, but there were no confirmed deaths from the storm.

To help with the recovery for people affected, Gov. Abbott said the Texas Department of Public Safety, Task Force 1, the Parks and Wildlife division and military were scouring every part of the affected areas to provide search and rescue if needed.

Nearly 8,500 people were given shelter provided by the state during the storm. The governor said those shelters would remain as long as people needed them.

Earlier this week, Gov. Abbott issued a state disaster declaration for 62 Texas counties ahead of the storm and was granted approval for federal assistance.   

With daylight, we got a good look at the damage left behind by Laura. It made landfall at around 1 a.m. Thursday in southwestern Louisiana near Cameron as a category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. 

See photos/video from storm damage

Two people have reportedly been killed by falling trees in southwest Louisiana as Hurricane Laura made landfall along the Gulf Coast early Thursday.

A 14-year-old girl in Vernon Parish was killed when a tree fell into her home and a 60-year-old man in Acadia Parish was killed when a tree fell on him during Laura, Acadia Parish Sheriff K.P. Gibson told KLFY in Lafayette.