#Tropical Storm Laura upgraded to hurricane as it takes aim at Texas, Louisiana

Tropical Storm Laura was upgraded to a hurricane Tuesday morning, as the storm swirled closer to the Gulf Coast, packing maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.

Laura was traveling west-northwest at 17 mph and about 625 miles from Lake Charles, Louisiana of 8:15 a.m. local time, the National Hurricane Center said.

It is expected to make landfall sometime between late Wednesday and early Thursday.

With Laura bearing down on Texas and Louisiana, dire warnings were issued Monday evening by Louisiana Gov. John Edwards and Linda Hidalgo, the chief executive of Harris County, which encompasses Houston.

Hidalgo urged residents to be prepared and not “to get cocky” by failing to prepare for the worse.

“We’re leaving no stone unturned with our preparation,” she said. “Now it is your turn.”

Residents in Port Arthur, Texas — an oil town of 54,000 people 85 miles east of Houston — were forced to evacuate, with the mayor giving them until 6 a.m. on Tuesday to leave.

Edwards, meanwhile, advised residents to take advantage of the short lull between Tropical Storm Marco and Laura to prepare.

“This has the potential to be the strongest hurricane to hit since Hurricane Rita,” he said of the storm that came on the heels of Hurricane Katrina and caused $25.2 billion in damage.

Rita caused seven direct deaths — though as many as 118 people died as 3.7 million evacuated the region, causing mass gridlock, The Weather Channel reported.

The National Hurricane Center also urged residents to take Laura seriously.

“Today is your day to prepare because Laura’s hazards will extend well away from the center,” the center warned early Tuesday.

Marco, meanwhile, was downgraded from a tropical storm Monday night after making landfall near the mouth of the Mississippi River.