Image released, EPA
New Orleans residents expect catastrophic storms
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Ida is blowing at speeds of up to 240 kilometers per hour in Louisiana and is likely to cause a “disaster” at sea level.
Tens of thousands of people fled the state fearing for their lives, but it was too late to escape on Sunday morning.
Governor John Bell Edwards said the hurricane would be the strongest in about 150 years.
The intensity of the hurricane increased the speed in the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
It made landfall as a Type 4 hurricane on Sapphire-Simpson Scale 5 in Port Fortune, south of New Orleans. This means it can cause severe damage to homes, trees and power poles.
In some areas, sea level rise associated with the hurricane could reach 4.8 meters, flooding some low-lying areas of the coast.
The effect of climate change on the frequency of storms is not clear, but the rising sea surface temperature warms the air above, thus providing more energy to run the hurricanes.
This makes hurricanes more powerful and increases the chance of heavy rain.
Ida came on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the type 3 hurricane that struck New Orleans in 2005 and killed more than 1,800 people.
The National Weather Service warned New Orleans residents it would be a no-brainer, and wrote on Twitter: “Stop for an indoor room or a small room with no windows. Stay home in this condition.”
Louisiana hospitals are under pressure from Covid 19 patients because the state has the third highest incidence of infections in the United States.
Hospitals in the path of hurricanes are usually evacuated, but this time there are some beds even in hospitals that are far from the coast.
“We have no way of bringing these patients in or out of state,” Edwards said.
The governor of neighboring Mississippi declared a state of emergency.
Earlier, US President Joe Biden said the federal government was ready to help.
Ida has already invaded Cuba and uprooted trees and roofs. The storm caused heavy rain in Jamaica, but no casualties were reported.
Image released, Reuters
Congestion on highways
The National Weather Service said Saturday: “We need to be aware that conditions along the coast will be unbearable for some time. There may be power outages for several weeks in areas around New Orleans and Baton Rouge.”
“I’m sorry for those who were ordered to leave. They can expect massive destruction and damage.
Oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico have been closed and production in the region has been suspended.