Hundreds of thousands of residents along the central U.S. Gulf Coast are piling sandbags, boarding up windows and stocking up on supplies as they get ready for Tropical Storm Gordon.
Gordon is gathering steam in the Gulf of Mexico and forecasters say it is likely to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane when it makes landfall late Tuesday.
Hurricane warnings are out for parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama. Tropical storm warnings and forecasts for heavy rain remain for the western Florida Panhandle.
Gordon is expected to dump as much as 30 centimeters (12 inches) of rain on some areas, along with potentially deadly storm surges, flooding and tornadoes.
Several oil companies have halted operations along the storm’s projected path.
President Donald Trump said the White House is standing by to help with storm recovery efforts.
Forecasters said Gordon would quickly lose much of its punch as it moves inland Wednesday.
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