Outer bands of the deadly hurricane were expected to batter the Gulf Coast starting in the evening.
A strengthening Hurricane Nate is churning north across the Gulf of Mexico and will likely slam into New Orleans as a Category 2 storm, forecasters said Saturday.
Outer bands of the deadly hurricane were expected to batter the Gulf Coast starting in the evening, with the center of the storm expected to make landfall overnight, said U. S. National Hurricane Center spokesman Dennis Feltgen.
Nate killed at least 25 people as it swept through Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras as a tropical storm earlier in the week.
Officials in New Orleans sought to calm nerves ahead of the storm’s arrival in the U. S.
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“We have been through this many, many times. There is no need to panic,” New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said at a news conference.
The Crescent City was devastated 12 years ago by Hurricane Katrina, which triggered severe flooding and killed hundreds of people.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Nate’s sustained winds have risen to 90 mph and warned strong winds, rains and a significant storm surge could spell disaster for several Southern states.
U. S. Air Force and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aircraft detected that Nate, moving along at a brisk 26 mph, strengthened as it passed over the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday, according to the NHC.
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The storm comes amid one of the most destructive hurricane seasons in recent years.
Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria have killed more than 170 people after ravaging Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and other parts of the Caribbean.
A White House statement Saturday said President Trump authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate all federal disaster relief efforts.
The statement says the move is intended to speed aid, save lives and protect property and public safety in the region.
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“Our great team at @FEMA is prepared for #HurricaneNate. Everyone in LA, MS, AL, and FL please listen to your local authorities & be safe!” the President tweeted Saturday from his golf resort in Virginia.
A state of emergency was declared in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and for more than two dozen counties in Florida, shipping ports have been closed and oil and gas platforms in the Gulf are being shut down.
“Can’t control storm, can control response,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey tweeted.
