Tropical storm Nate, which has now been upgraded to a category 1 hurricane, is set to hit the US Gulf coast this weekend – mostly Saturday evening or late night. The storm in barrelling towards Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and is likely to swirl towards Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina later on.
Numerous residents of New Orleans have been evacuated in preparation. "Nate is at our doorstep or will be soon," Reuters quoted New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu as saying. He also explained that even though the hurricane may not bring massive amounts of rainfall, -- probably 3-6 inches -- the city is likely to witness strong winds, which could bring down a lot of trees and electric poles causing power outages. Hurricane Nate currently has sustained wind speeds of about 120 kilometre per hour.
"We have been through this many, many times. There is no need to panic," Landrieu added. Residents of Venetian Isles, Lake Catherine and Irish Bayou sections of New Orleans were asked to mandatorily evacuate. Landrieu also urged people to stock up on supplies immediately and not venture out on Saturday and Sunday. A curfew too will be put in place.
"If we all stay informed, if we all stay alert, if we all stay prepared, ultimately, we will all be safe, which is our No. 1 priority," Landrieu said.
Meanwhile, Alabama too has declared a state of emergency and residents have been asked to stay alert. "Alabamians, you must prepare and remain vigilant — this is serious business," Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said and explained that the effects of Nate could be felt by Sunday, October 8. "By Saturday noon you should be in your safe place. This is a fast-moving storm and we must begin preparing now."
Morgan City too has been put on a storm alert and residents have been asked to be prepared to evacuate as the orders may come anytime. "Residents in these areas should heed any evacuation instructions given by local officials," CNN quoted the National Hurricane Center as saying.
Before being upgraded to category 1 hurricane, tropical storm Nate battered many areas in Central America killing at least 12 people in Nicaragua, nine in Costa Rica, two in Honduras and two in El Salvador. Costa Rican President Luis Guillermo Solis has asked residents to be alert as the rains may resume.
While New Orleans was battered by Hurricane Katrina 12 years ago, Hurricane Nate is the third storm to hit the US mainland in the last six weeks after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The state of Texas witnessed massive flooding due to rains brought by Hurricane Harvey. With mandatory evacuation orders issued, shelter homes were swarmed with residents.
Harvey killed over 80 people in the region and two Indian students Nikhil Bhatia and Shalini Singh also lost their lives.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Irma left Florida devastated. A few days later Puerto Rico was slammed by Hurricane Maria and the country received about 40 inches of rain and 3.4 million Puerto Rico residents were left without power.
