Authorities call for calm as Hurricane Nate forms in Gulf
Altogether, 14 storms have formed across the Atlantic this season, killing hundreds in the US, Mexico and the Caribbean and causing an estimated US$300 billion damage
Hurricane Nate gained force as it continued rapidly moving over the central Gulf of Mexico on Saturday after drenching Central America in rain that was blamed for at least 21 deaths.
Louisiana and Mississippi officials declared states of state of emergency and Louisiana ordered some people to evacuate coastal areas and barrier islands before its expected landfall on Saturday night or early Sunday. Evacuations began at some offshore oil platforms in the Gulf.
Mississippi’s government said it would open 11 evacuation shelters in areas away from the coast, with buses available for people who cannot drive.
The US National Hurricane Centre warned that Nate could raise sea levels by up to 2.1 metres from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Alabama-Florida border. It had already had caused deadly flooding in much of Central America.
The centre added metropolitan New Orleans and Lake Pontchartrain to its latest hurricane warning.