⁍ Hurricane Zeta intensified on Wednesday to strike Louisiana with up to 100 mile-per-hour winds that will reach far inland.
⁍ New Orleans halted city and transit services and advised residents living outside the state’s protective levee system to leave for higher ground.
⁍ Coastal and low-lying communities along the state’s Gulf Coast called for mandatory evacuations.
– A state of emergency has been declared in Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Zeta, which is expected to make landfall in the state Wednesday night—the sixth hurricane to hit the state this year, the AP reports. The National Hurricane Center says Zeta, a Category 1 storm with 100mph winds, is expected to be a Category 2 hurricane when it makes landfall. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency in 16 counties, urging residents to leave low-lying areas and move to higher ground, the Times-Picayune reports. Oil and gas production facilities have been evacuated and more than 150 wells have been shut down. The storm is expected to dump up to 4 inches of rain on Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi and could spawn tornadoes in Florida.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/storm-zeta-louisiana/zeta-roars-out-of-us-gulf-of-mexico-bringing-100-mph-winds-to-coast-idUSL1N2HJ1GS