By Minyvonne Burke
On Tuesday tropical storm Laura strengthened to hurricane level, reaching maximum sustained winds of 75 mph with even stronger gusts as it barreled toward the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana.
Officials said hundreds of thousands of people in the two states were ordered to evacuate, with the hurricane expected to intensify and reach category 3 strength Wednesday. Hurricane watchers say Laura is forecast to make landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday near the Texas-Louisiana border, although its projected path could shift.
The National Hurricane Center Center said Laura, which dumped heavy rain on Cuba, may also threaten Florida,
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