US President Donald Trump has flown to Louisiana to survey the damage left behind by Hurricane Laura.
He is also set to make a stop in Texas before returning to Washington DC.
The president is making the trip two days after the Category 4 storm slammed the Gulf Coast, leaving at least 14 dead and wreaking havoc with severe winds and flooding.
While the storm surge has receded and the clean up effort has begun, hundreds of thousands remain without power or water - a situation officials say could continue for weeks or months as the hot northern summer stretches on.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said Mr Trump wanted "to be with those who have been impacted by Hurricane Laura".
He is expected to survey storm damage and receive briefings on emergency operations and ongoing relief efforts.
As Air Force One came in for landing in hard-hit Lake Charles, Mr Trump got a bird's eye view of the extensive damage, the smashed houses, downed power lines and trees, and debris strewn across the city of 80,000 people.
President Donald Trump listens to Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, centre, as he tours damage from Hurricane Laura, Source: AAP
Mr Trump had earlier told reporters that he'd considered delaying his speech accepting his party's nomination for a second term until Monday because the storm was coming.
"I was going to Texas. I was going to Louisiana, maybe Arkansas," he said.
"But now, it turned out, we got a little bit lucky. It was very big, it was very powerful, but it passed quickly."
