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BloombergAug. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Governor Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency for Louisiana after a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico was forecast to strengthen into a bigger storm and slam into the southern state tomorrow.
The system sustained winds of 35 miles (55 kilometers) an hour and was 290 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River shortly before 7 a.m. Miami time, the National Hurricane Center said on its website. The depression was heading northwest at 10 mph and forecast to hit the coast late tomorrow as a tropical storm, with winds exceeding 38 mph.
Impact is likely to be near the state boundary between Louisiana and Mississippi, according to graphics on the hurricane center website. A tropical storm warning extended from Destin, Florida, to Intracoastal City, Louisiana. Officials said the system will hamper BP Plc's efforts in the Gulf of Mexico to clear up the worst oil slick in U.S. history.
"The forecast from the National Weather Service indicates that the coastal parishes of Louisiana will be subjected to tropical force conditions to such a degree that life and property will be placed in jeopardy," Jindal said yesterday in statement posted on the State of Louisiana website. He said the declaration was justified "given the threatened tropical storm conditions and complicating factors created by the oil spill."
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