Louisiana officials are stepping up their emergency response efforts as the window to prepare for Tropical Storm Nate shrinks.
The storm is forecast to make landfall as a hurricane along the Louisiana coast early Sunday, according to current forecasts. It developed into a tropical storm this morning, shifting its path toward the state and is expected to increase in speed as it moves into the Gulf of Mexico late Friday.
To prepare for a potential landfall in Louisiana, the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness says it’s activating the State Emergency Operations Center and moving to Level one operations—the highest level involving all state agencies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency—at 6 a.m. Friday.
Conference calls also are being held with parishes in the storm’s predicted path.
“High tides and easterly winds in recent days are impacting some areas ahead of the storm. Those conditions may worsen over the weekend,” GOHSEP Director Jim Waskom says in a statement. “Our window to prepare for Nate is closing quickly.”
