4 September 2011
Tropical Storm Lee hits Louisiana on US Gulf coast
Tropical Storm Lee has made landfall in Louisiana, hurling rain at a part of the US Gulf coast still haunted by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina flood disaster.
Tropical Storm Lee has made landfall in Louisiana, hurling rain at a part of the US Gulf coast still haunted by the 2005 Hurricane Katrina flood disaster.
The storm came ashore 50 miles (80km) south-west of Lafayette, packing sustained winds of 45mph (75km/h), the National Hurricane Center said.
Flood defences repaired after the 2005 disaster are expected to be put to the test in New Orleans.
The Atlantic hurricane season usually brings about a dozen named storms, but Katia is already the 11th with half the season still ahead.
Nearly half of US Gulf oil production was shut on Friday as companies - including Exxon Mobil, Shell and Chevron - evacuated workers and shut offshore platforms.
BP, the largest oil producer in the Gulf of Mexico, told the BBC it had evacuated all personnel and shut down production.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal warned residents to "make sure they have a game plan for themselves and their families should this storm strengthen".
However, the developing weather system could bring some much-needed rain to Texas, which is in the grip of a severe drought.
And rain in Louisiana could help extinguish nearby marsh fires.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-14757930
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