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Hurricane Delta hits storm-battered US southern coast, with ‘life-threatening’ storm surge

  • The hurricane caused damage in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula before making landfall in Louisiana, which was hit by a devastating storm two months ago
  • This is the 10th named storm of the year to make US landfall, which meteorologists say is a record

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Hurricane Delta made landfall on the US Gulf coast on the evening of October 9, the National Hurricane Center said, roaring ashore as a Category 2 storm. Photo: AFP
Hurricane Delta made landfall on the Louisiana coast on Friday evening, packing ferocious winds and a “life-threatening” storm surge – and driving out residents still rebuilding from a devastating storm less than two months ago.
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Delta became the 10th named storm of the year to make US landfall, a record, meteorologists said.

It roared ashore near Creole, Louisiana as a Category 2 storm on a scale of five, with winds of 100 miles per hour (155km/h), the National Hurricane Center said.

“Damaging winds and a life-threatening storm surge continue over portions of southern Louisiana,” it said, adding that one monitoring site was reporting a storm surge of eight feet (2.4 metres) above ground.

The storm – which the NHC said quickly weakened to a Category 1 as it moved inland – caused widespread power outages in the state.

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The storm surge in Lake Charles as Hurricane Delta makes landfall in Louisiana. Photo: Bloomberg
The storm surge in Lake Charles as Hurricane Delta makes landfall in Louisiana. Photo: Bloomberg
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