Tropical storm Erin forms in Gulf of Mexico

Tropical storm Erin has formed in the Gulf of Mexico. It expected to make landfall Thursday near Corpus Christi, Texas, forecasters have stated.

At 11:00 a.m. EDT today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration measured winds over 40 mph which is the mark of a tropical storm.

At 11:30 a.m. EDT, the storm was about 250 miles east of Brownsville, Texas, and about 295 miles east-northeast of La Pesca, Mexico, with sustained winds of 30 mph.

Texas Governor Rick Perry is warning that many areas in the projected path of the storm could be facing severe flooding, saying “Because storms have saturated much of our state this summer, many communities in this storm's projected path are at high risk of dangerous flash flooding.”

Therefore, Governor Perry has an estimated 30 vehicles and 60 National Guard members in the area on standby in case of severe flooding. Also, Texas' disaster response team has been mobilized. There are also members of the Texas Task Force One, who have been trained in urban search and rescue techniques, on standby. Corey Ricketson with Texas Task Force One said, "We've got food, water, we've got shelters, we've got showers, beds, everything that we need right here in order to go to a remote location and be self-sufficient as a unit."