Tropical Storm Nate strengthens to hurricane as it nears US Gulf Coast

Hurricane Nate is now a Category 1 storm and is picking up more strength as it barrels towards the US Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center said.


On Friday, the storm gained force as it sped past Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula after drenching Central America in rain that was blamed for at least 25 deaths.

Mitch Landrieu, mayor of New Orleans, declared a state of emergency, saying his city is preparing for the hurricane as it get stronger.

"I want to reiterate this to the people of New Orleans, we have been through this many, many times - there is no need to panic. We're encouraging the public to do all they can to prepare as we do in every weather event; you have to have a plan," Landrieu said.

"You have to prepare to protect your personal property. It is the cooperation of the citizens that make these events work really well with our great first responders."

Mississippi officials also declared a state of emergency and Louisiana ordered some people to evacuate coastal areas in advance of expected landfall on Saturday night or early Sunday.

Evacuations began at some offshore oil platforms in the Gulf.
 [aljazeera.com]
 7/10/17
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