Two men in their 40s died in Louisiana from what health officials said was heat-related illness while clearing debris from Hurricane Laura, bringing the number of deaths blamed on the storm in the state to 22, NBC News reports.
The Louisiana Department of Health said Friday that the men, 41 and 47, died in Vernon Parish, which is in the western part of the state north of Lake Charles. The area suffered major damage in the storm that made landfall near Cameron early Aug. 27.
Five deaths blamed on the storm have also been reported in Texas, bringing the total number of deaths linked to the hurricane or its aftermath to 27.
The storm knocked out power to more than 600,000 customers, and as of Friday, more than 183,000 remained without, according to the Louisiana Public Service Commission's website.
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