The United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued an advisory on Wednesday that said that hurricane Laura has been "rapidly intensifying" ahead of its projected landfall on the Louisiana-Texas border later in the day.
Currently a Category 2 hurricane, Laura is expected to produce "a life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding" over eastern Texas and Louisiana, according to the advisory.
Laura strengthened from a tropical storm into a Category 1 hurricane earlier this week as it made its way through the Gulf of Mexico. Oil and gas companies in the area have shut down refineries in the area.
