Montegut, La. ? Hurricane Lili gave Louisiana’s coast a 100 mph battering Thursday that swamped streets, knocked out power and snapped trees. But Lili dwindled to tropical storm strength as it moved inland, leaving residents thankful it was not the monster they were expecting.

“It looks like we were lucky,” Gov. Mike Foster said.

More than a million people in Texas and Louisiana had been told to clear out as the hurricane closed in with terrifying intensity. But in an overnight transformation even forecasters could not fully explain, Lili weakened from a 145-mph, Category 4 hurricane to a Category 2.

And after its center crossed land Thursday at Marsh Island, the storm’s winds dropped again, falling by midday to 75 mph, barely a hurricane. By evening, Lili was a tropical storm with winds of 50 mph, and instead of a potentially catastrophic 25-foot storm surge, more manageable surges of 6 to 10 feet blew in.

“A lot of Ph.D.s will be written about this,” said National Hurricane Center Director Max Mayfield.

No deaths were reported along the U.S. Gulf Coast. Injuries included three people hurt in Louisiana two in a roof collapse and a deputy whose cruiser was hit by a falling tree. Earlier this week, Lili killed eight people in the Caribbean.

Foster requested and received a disaster declaration from President Bush. The president did not specify which areas of the state would be eligible for federal aid.

Residents of the region, meanwhile, waited out the weakened storm in shelters.

“Better to make a blank trip than get caught in a hurricane and have a massive loss of life,” said Harvey Hart of Port Arthur, Tex., who spent the night with his family in a shelter.

Brooks Ward shields his face from strong winds and rain as he clears loose debris left by Hurricane Lili. Ward worked Thursday in Abbeville, La., one of several locations where Lili caused damage to homes and stores.