HOUSTON, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu ordered that the curfew be lifted Saturday night after the U.S. National Weather Service canceled the hurricane warning for New Orleans in the southern U.S. state of Louisiana.
Earlier Saturday in New Orleans, a citywide curfew was announced, which was supposed to be in effect from 7:00 p.m. Saturday (0000 GMT Sunday) to 7:00 a.m. (1200 GMT) Sunday. Landrieu has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to stay off the streets.
Still, the mayor recommended that people take shelter due to the strong winds. He warned that there is still a serious threat of a storm surge for areas outside of levee protection.
Hurricane Nate made landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River on the southeastern Louisiana coast Saturday evening. No casualties have been reported yet in the United States.
Before arriving on the U.S. coast, Tropical Storm Nate caused severe flooding in parts of Central America that left at least 22 people dead in Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Honduras.
Nate, which was earlier estimated to make landfall around midnight Saturday, escalated to a Category 1 hurricane late Friday night.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday approved an emergency declaration for a large area of Louisiana and ordered federal assistance for the state.
