Trump says to visit US Gulf states of Texas, Louisiana this weekend after hurricane Laura

US President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he will travel to Louisiana and Texas after the two US Gulf states were pummeled by Hurricane Laura.

"We'll probably be going on Saturday or Sunday, and we'll be heading to Texas and Louisiana and maybe an additional stop," Trump said of the areas damaged by the storm.

Trump also said he was ready to postpone his scheduled acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention tonight and deliver his address on Monday instead.

He also noted that the hurricane proved far last destructive than was predicted before it made landfall.

"It turned out we got a little bit lucky. It was very big and it was very powerful, but it passed quickly, and so everything is on schedule," Trump said.

Hurricane Laura hit the Louisiana coast shortly after midnight local time (05:00 GMT) with winds in excess of 150 miles per hour. The category 4 storm was one of the strongest to ever to make landfall along the US portion of the Gulf of Mexico.

Trump has pledged a huge national effort to rescue victims of Hurricane Laura and expressed readiness to lend the US government's backing for rebuilding and repair efforts to follow, the White House said in a statement. (/Sputnik)

( With inputs from ANI )