Texas coast prepares for Tropical Storm Edouard

Aug 4, 2008, 19:55 GMT

Washington - Residents along the Texas coast on Monday were bracing for Tropical Storm Edouard, as forecasters predicted the storm could strengthen before making landfall.

Edouard was predicted to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana early Tuesday, the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said.

Monday afternoon it had sustained 75-kilometre-per-hour winds, but could reach hurricane strength before coming ashore, the centre said.

Thousands of National Guard troops had arrived in Texas in advance of the storm to distribute supplies and assist with cleanup after the storm, the Houston Chronicle reported. No residents were being evacuated, but authorities were urging people use caution, the report said.

NASA said it had closed its Johnson Space Centre in Houston in preparation for the storm.

A hurricane warning was in place for much of the Texas and Louisiana coasts.

Edouard's center was located about 230 kilometres south-south-east of Lafayette, Louisiana and 390 kilometres east-south-east of Galveston, Texas at 1800 GMT.