HOUSTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Hurricane Laura has intensified to major Category 4 hurricane as it moved towards the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastline, bringing life-threatening hazards, U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Wednesday afternoon.

Forecast showed Hurricane Laura rapidly strengthened overnight and is expected to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border as an "extremely dangerous" category 4 hurricane late Wednesday into early Thursday.

"Unsurvivable storm surge with large and destructive waves will cause catastrophic damage" in some areas in Texas and Louisiana, NHC said, adding that the surge could penetrate up to 48 kilometers inland from the immediate coastline.

NHC said Laura is expected to bring multiple life-threatening hazards to the Gulf Coast beginning later Wednesday. "Efforts to protect life and property within the Storm Surge and Hurricane Warning areas should be rushed to completion before storm surge and tropical storm force winds arrive."

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards suggested people in those warning areas should evacuate as the storm prepared to make landfall. "In my five years as governor I don't think I've ever had a press conference where I'm trying to convey the sense of urgency I'm trying to convey right now," Edwards said.

In Texas' Harris County where the biggest city of Houston is located, County Judge Lina Hidalgo Wednesday signed a disaster declaration to give people "additional flexibility to respond and recover to any impacts from Hurricane Laura." Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)