Hurricane Laura to strengthen to category 4 by Wednesday
Hurricane Laura is expected to strengthen rapidly into a category 4 hurricane on Wednesday, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Laura, currently a category 2 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, packing maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (175 kph), is about 335 miles (540 km) southeast of Galveston, Texas, the Miami-based weather forecaster said.
Crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico has been paralyzed as companies batten down operations. Output cuts are nearing 90%, a level not seen since Hurricane Katrina in 2005
Louisiana Governor, Jon Bel Edward warned of deadly winds and a destructive storm surge after Laura makes landfall Wednesday.
More than 420,000 Texas residents and another 200,000 people in neighboring Louisiana were under mandatory evacuation orders on Tuesday (August 25). Hidalgo County urged voluntary evacuation in the coastal region surrounding Houston, and shelters were set up in San Antonio, Dallas and Austin.
Houston, which lies about 45 miles (70 km) north of the open water of the Gulf of Mexico. was pummeled in 2017 by Hurricane Harvey, which killed at least 68 people and caused $125 billion in property damage. Hurricane Laura is forecast to dissipate quickly after landfall, with the greatest danger more from wind and storm surges than rain.
Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, about 80 miles (129 km) east of Houston, was closed and its 15,000 students urged to evacuate, the school said.
Source: Reuters
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