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A ferocious-looking Hurricane Laura made landfall early Thursday morning near Cameron, Louisiana, with powerful, Category 4 winds.

Damage assessments should begin coming in as the sun comes up and conditions are safe for emergency crews to move about.

The storm took a more northerly turn late Wednesday night meaning Southeast Texas should have been spared from the worst effects of Laura – less wind, lower storm surges and ostensibly less damage.

Just before landfall, the National Hurricane Center described the storm as “a ferocious-looking hurricane with a clear circular eye, an intense eyewall, and tightly-coiled surrounding spiral bands.”

Rapid weakening of the storm ie expected now that Laura is over land, however, at 6 a.m. the storm was 55 miles north of Lake Charles and was still packing 105 mph sustained winds near the center.