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Fourteen people have been confirmed dead in the United States after Hurricane Laura struck the southern states.
Ten of the victims were in Louisiana and four in Texas.
Winds of up to 150 mph (240 km / h) caused severe damage, with power outages in more than half a million homes and a chemical fire at an industrial plant.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards asked the federal government for immediate financial assistance to deal with the consequences.
President Donald Trump will travel to the two states on Saturday to meet with people affected by the hurricane, the White House said.
Laura has now been downgraded to tropical storm status, but heavy rains are still falling in several states.
In Haiti, which was previously hit by storms Marco and Laura, at least 31 people are now reported to have died.
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Edwards said he asked President Trump to declare a federal disaster for 23 parishes in Louisiana.
“Hurricane Laura is the fifth strongest storm to make landfall in the United States in recorded history and the first in memory to maintain the force of a major hurricane while traveling through Louisiana, bringing catastrophic destruction to many parishes,” Edwards said in a statement.
Speaking at a news conference, he called Laura “the strongest storm ever to hit Louisiana.”
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A man rescues what he can from his store in Lake Charles
Of the 10 people who lost their lives in the state, five died from carbon monoxide poisoning from emergency gas generators, four from falling trees and one drowned.
In Texas, a man was killed when a tree struck his home, and three people lost their lives in Port Arthur, possibly from carbon monoxide poisoning, authorities said.
About 8,000 homes were possibly destroyed in the two states, according to the Red Cross.
Nic Hunter, mayor of one of the hardest-hit areas, Lake Charles in Louisiana, said it was unclear when water and power supplies would be restored.
“If you are returning to Lake Charles to stay, make sure you understand the above reality and are prepared to live in it for many days, probably weeks,” he wrote on Facebook.
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Many have been without electricity
There was more structural damage from the winds than anticipated, but the damage from the water was less than feared.
Some 1,500 people, including National Guard troops, are being deployed on rescue and cleanup missions.
What other areas have suffered?
The death toll in Haiti has risen from 10 to 31 and eight people are missing, the country’s civil protection service said. More than 6,000 homes were flooded in the country.
Four people are known to have died in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Cuba suffered damage but did not register deaths.
In Jamaica, there were reports of landslides and flooded roads.
The US territory of Puerto Rico was also affected, with President Trump declaring a state of disaster last Saturday.
