Hurricane lashes central Gulf Coast
UNITED STATES: Hurricane Nate came ashore at a sparsely populated area at the mouth of the Mississippi River yesterday and pelted the central Gulf Coast with wind and rain as the fast-moving storm headed towards the Mississippi coast, where it was expected to make another landfall and threatened to inundate homes and businesses.
Nate was expected to pass to the east of New Orleans, sparing the city its most ferocious winds and storm surge. And its quick speed lessened the likelihood of prolonged rain that would tax the city’s weakened drainage pump system. The city famous for allnight partying was placed under a curfew, effective at 7pm, but the mayor lifted it when it appeared the storm would pass by and cause little problems for the city. Still, the streets were not nearly as crowded as they typically are and Mayor Mitch Landrieu asked people to shelter in place.
Cities along the Mississippi coast such as Gulfport and Biloxi were on high alert. Some beachfront hotels and casinos were evacuated.
Nate weakened slightly and was a Category 1 storm with maximum winds of 137kph when it made landfall in a sparsely populated area of Plaquemines Parish. Forecasters had said it was possible that it could strengthen to a Category 2, but that seemed less likely as the night wore on.
Storm surge threatened lowlying communities in southeast Louisiana, eastward to the Alabama fishing village of Bayou la Batre.
‘‘If it floods again, this will be it,’’ said Larry Bertron as he and his wife prepared to leave their home in the Braithwaite community of Plaquemines Parish. The hurricane veterans lost one home to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and left the home they rebuilt after Hurricane Isaac in 2012.
Governors in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama declared states of emergency. The three states have been mostly spared during this hectic hurricane season.
‘‘This is the worst hurricane that has impacted Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina,’’ Mississippi Emergency Management Director Lee Smithson said. ‘‘Everyone needs to understand that, that this is a significantly dangerous situation.’’
Streets in low-lying areas of Louisiana were flooded. Places outside of levee protections were under mandatory evacuation orders and shelters opened there. -