Man Killed By Tree Is First Death In Texas Blamed On Hurricane Laura
HEMPHILL, Texas (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — A Texas man who died when Hurricane Laura threw a a tree onto his home is believed to be the state's first reported death from the storm.
Sabine County Emergency Management Coordinator Kerwin Lloyd identified the man Friday as David Murrell, 54.
Murrell died Thursday when the tree fell on his mobile home at Toledo Bend Reservoir near Hemphill in East Texas, Lloyd said.
Officials blame Laura for a total of 11 deaths, with the rest counted in Louisiana.
Laura made landfall Thursday near the Texas-Louisiana border and sawed a devastating path as it moved north through Louisiana and later into Arkansas and Tennessee. Hundreds of thousands of people across Louisiana are still without power or water.
Much of Southeast Texas was spared from the destruction left behind by the storm. However, many areas along the Texas coast, especially those near the Louisiana border, are still without power as well.
Thousands of coastal residents fled to North Texas this week to escape the storm's path.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)