Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Gordon.
Governor Edwards and state emergency response officials held a press conference to discuss preparations that are underway in anticipation of the storm. Video below:
A hurricane warning has been issued from the mouth of the Pearl River eastward to the Alabama/Florida border.
Gordon is predicted to reach hurricane strength before making landfall east of Louisiana.
A Storm Surge Warning is in effect from Shell Beach, La. to Dauphin Island, Ala. A Storm Surge Watch is in effect from west of Shell Beach to the Mouth of the Mississippi River and east of Dauphin Island, Ala., to Navarre, Fla. A Hurricane Warning is in effect from the mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama-Florida state line. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from Chokoloskee to Bonita Beach, Fla.; west of the Mouth of the Pearl River to east of Morgan City, La, including Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas; and from the Alabama-Florida state line to Okaloosa-Walton County Line.
On the forecast track, the center will move farther away from the southwestern coast of Florida early this evening, and move across the eastern Gulf of Mexico tonight and Tuesday. The center will approach the central Gulf Coast within the warning area late Tuesday or Tuesday night, and move inland over the lower Mississippi Valley on Wednesday.
Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph (85 km/h) with higher gusts. Gradual strengthening is forecast during the next 36 hours, and Gordon is expected to be a hurricane when it makes landfall along the central Gulf Coast.
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