Advertisement

Hurricane Laura: Heat-related deaths reported in Louisiana; toll hits 28

Hurricane Laura cut power to hundreds of thousands of people in Texas and Louisiana, prompting the increased use of generators that killed 12 people. Photo by PO3 Paige Hause/U.S. Coast Guard/UPI
Hurricane Laura cut power to hundreds of thousands of people in Texas and Louisiana, prompting the increased use of generators that killed 12 people. Photo by PO3 Paige Hause/U.S. Coast Guard/UPI | License Photo

Sept. 5 (UPI) -- Louisiana health officials have announced three new deaths related to last week's Hurricane Laura, bringing the overall death toll from the storm to at least 28.

The Louisiana Department of Health on Friday said two of the new deaths were of men in their 40s who died from heat-related illnesses while cleaning debris after the storm. The third, a 59-year-old man, died after being hit by a falling tree branch.

Advertisement

Hurricane Laura made landfall as a Category 4 storm early Aug. 27 in Cameron, La. Health officials said the storm killed 23 people in the state -- nine from carbon monoxide poisoning after using a generator, six from heat-related illness, five from falling trees or branches, one from drowning, one from falling off a roof and one during storm cleanup.

Another five deaths in Texas have been blamed on the storm from falling trees and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Many people in the storm's path turned to using the devices after hundreds of thousands lost power.

Latest Headlines