"Laura" foothills are already causing big waves at Key West, Florida
Photo:Rob O'neal / dpa
The hurricane "Laura" has increased in strength. As expected, the storm moving towards the US coast on the Gulf of Mexico has reached the strength of a hurricane. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour were recorded.
A satellite image showed the center of the storm west of Cuba. The US meteorologists expect that "Laura" will continue to gain strength over the Gulf of Mexico and could hit the mainland as a violent hurricane on Wednesday. The storm is particularly dangerous for the states of Louisiana and Texas.
The weakening of the tropical storm "Marco" had given the US state of Louisiana an unexpected respite before the arrival of "Lauras" - and Governor John Bel Edwards called on the population to take the opportunity to prepare. "I want everyone to understand that this has the potential to be the strongest hurricane that has hit (us) since Hurricane Rita," Edwards said at a news conference.
More than a dozen dead by "Laura" in the Caribbean
"Rita" hit the United States in 2005 as a force 3 hurricane on the Texas-Louisiana border and swept the country at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour. In the meantime, 1.3 million people had to leave the coastal region. The authorities put the number of direct hurricane deaths at seven, but numerous other people died during the evacuation measures, among other things from the effects of the heat. "We have to be very, very careful," Edwards warned.
"Rita" hit the US south coast shortly after the deadly hurricane "Katrina". Hurricanes are tropical hurricanes in the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific. According to the US climate agency NOAA, the hurricane season 2020, which will last from June to November, could be one of the most violent in the Atlantic.
At the weekend it was feared that the Gulf Coast could be hit by two successive hurricanes within a few days. US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that "Marco" and "Laura" have the potential to cause great damage on the Gulf Coast.
"Marco", who had reached hurricane strength on Sunday, weakened again on Monday and reached the US coast at the Mississippi estuary as a tropical storm in the evening (local time). After that, he moved along the coast of the state of Louisiana and caused heavy rains.
"Laura" already moved through the Caribbean. Nine people were killed in Haiti and four in the Dominican Republic. In Cuba, 200,000 people were evacuated. The NHC wrote, referring to the affected parts of the US, "Today is the day to prepare."
Icon: The mirrorapr / dpa