Hurricane Gustav batters America

Hurricane Gustav has hit the state of Louisiana in America with torrential rains and strong winds.

Gusts of 110 mph are snapping power cables and huge waves are battering the Gulf coast.

The storm landed south-west of the city of New Orleans, which was really badly damaged by a hurricane called Katrina, three years ago.

Thousands of people left their homes for safety before Gustav hit, leaving the streets deserted.

Click here read about one girl who's been evacuated because of the hurricane

Earlier, Hurricane Gustav was said to be a category three storm, but it has weakened to a category two.

Thousands left their homes for safety

The storm has already claimed the lives of more than 80 people in the Caribbean, causing widespread damage in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica over the past week.

At least 300,000 people were evacuated in Cuba as the storm brought bad flooding and some severe damage, but no reports of deaths.

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