A cat walks past a destroyed home in Lake Charles days after Hurricane Laura hit. One of the strongest hurricanes ever to strike the U.S., Laura barreled across Louisiana shearing off roofs and killing at least six people while carving a destructive path hundreds of miles inland. Laura's top wind speed of 150 mph (241 kph) put it among the strongest systems on record in the U.S. Not until 11 hours after landfall did Laura finally lose hurricane status.