Earnestine and Milton Wesley had decided to ride out Hurricane Delta in their Lake Charles home, damaged just weeks earlier by Hurricane Laura.

Delta hit as a Category 2 hurricane, with top winds of 100 mph (155 kph) before rapidly weakening over land.

Hundreds of cattle have died after being attacked by mosquitoes in Louisiana, where hurricane Laura helped super-charge the insects' numbers.

Many are worried that they won't have enough support from federal and state governments as they face a rebuilding process certain to take several months, if not longer.

The babies, some on ventilators or eating through a feeding tube, seemed to weather the storm just fine, said Dr. Juan Bossano, the medical director of the neonatal intensive care unit at Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women.

The U.S. toll from the Category 4 hurricane stood at 14 deaths, with more than half of those killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators.

The U.S. toll from the Category 4 hurricane stood at 14 deaths, with more than half of those killed by carbon monoxide poisoning from the unsafe operation of generators.

Just before striking Louisiana, Laura wobbled and moved the worst of the storm surge east and into a far less populated area.

Along the coast, the storm demolished buildings, left entire neighbourhoods in ruins and almost 900,000 homes and businesses without power.

Louisiana's governor urged nearby residents to shelter in place until further notice with doors and windows closed and air conditioning units turned off.