Tropical Storm Bertha made landfall on the US Gulf Coast on Wednesday, bringing severe flooding and prompting the deployment of the National Guard as authorities responded to homes and businesses left underwater across the southern states. The storm has left residents stranded and caused widespread disruption, underlining the growing threat posed by the intense weather systems that regularly hit the region during hurricane season.

Bertha came ashore in the afternoon in St Bernard Parish, Louisiana, roughly 40 miles east of New Orleans, with maximum sustained winds of about 45mph. Its effects were felt as far as 160 miles from the storm's centre, including in Panama City Beach, Florida, where strong winds toppled a Waffle House sign onto a car. The storm is expected to remain at tropical storm strength as it tracks towards the upper Texas coast on Thursday, with the National Hurricane Center extending Tropical Storm Warnings from Cameron, Louisiana, to Sargent, Texas.