Hurricane Nate weakens after hitting Mississippi and Louisiana
First storm to hit the area since Katrina ‘still dangerous’
Hurricane Nate came ashore along Mississippi’s coast early yesterday, the first hurricane to make landfall in the state since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The storm had sustained winds near 85 mph with weakening expected as it moved inland, the US National Hurricane Centre said.
It was Nate’s second landfall. On Saturday night the storm came ashore along a sparsely populated area in south-east Louisiana, its powerful winds knocking out power to homes and business. Some surge warnings have been lifted but weather officials say danger remains in Alabama and western Florida.
Nate killed at least 25 people in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras, though no deaths or injuries have yet been reported in the US.
Although not as strong as last month’s Maria and Irma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and parts of Florida had issued warnings and evacuation orders ahead of its arrival.
“We left for Katrina, but we’re going to ride this one out,” Ed Nodhturft said from his Ocean Springs, a town on Mississippi’s coast.
Hurricane Katrina made its final landfall on the Mississippi coast on August 29 2005, levelling many cities and buckling bridges.
John Adams lives on Belle Fontaine Beach, a narrow strip of land between the Mississippi Sound and a coastal marsh. Every house on the spit was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
“This is my first hurricane,” Mr Adams said hours before the storm made landfall. “So far, it’s kind of a fizzle.”
Katrina was the last hurricane that made a landfall on the Mississippi coast, although both Hurricane Gustav in 2008 and Hurricane Isaac in 2012 affected parts of the coast.
Nate passed to the east of New Orleans, sparing the city its most ferocious winds and storm surge. Its quick speed lessened the likelihood of prolonged rain that would tax the city’s weakened drainage pump system.
The city famous for all-night partying was placed under a curfew, effective at 7pm, but the mayor lifted it about an hour after it had begun when it appeared the storm would pass by and cause few problems for the city.
Still, the streets were not nearly as crowded as they typically are on a Saturday night and Mayor Mitch Landrieu asked people to take shelter.
Some bars were closed in the French Quarter but music blasted from others.
Cities along the Mississippi coast such as Gulfport and Biloxi were on high alert. Some beachfront hotels and casinos were evacuated, and rain began falling on the region on Saturday. Forecasters predicted three to six inches with as much as 10 inches in some isolated places.
Nate weakened slightly and was a Category one storm with maximum winds of 85 mph when it made its first landfall in a sparsely populated area of Plaquemines.
Governors in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama declared states of emergency. The three states have been mostly spared during this hurricane season.
“This is the worst hurricane that has impacted Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina,” Mississippi emergency management director Lee Smithson said on Saturday.
“Everyone needs to understand that, that this is a significantly dangerous situation.”
Florida governor Rick Scott warned residents of the Panhandle to prepare for Nate’s impact.
“Hurricane Nate is expected to bring life-threatening storm surges, strong winds and tornado es that could reach across the Panhandle,” Mr Scott said.
The evacuations affect roughly 100,000 residents in the western Panhandle.
The Pensacola International Airport announced it would remain closed on Sunday.