- Evacuation in Louisiana has begun because Hurricane Ida, an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane, is entering the area.
- According to the National Hurricane Center, tropical storms were also detected this weekend towards the Gulf of Mexico.
- The storm is said to be moving northwestward at a speed of 24 kilometers per hour, and it will maintain this direction in the next few days, with a maximum sustained wind speed of about 95 kilometers per hour.
People were evacuating high-risk areas and queuing to buy supplies on Friday as Louisiana is preparing for Hurricane Ida, which is expected to intensify into an “extremely dangerous” category 4 hurricane when it hits the southern United States this weekend.
Forecasters warned that as the storm made landfall in western Cuba as a Category 1 storm on Friday night, and the maximum sustained wind speed is close to 130 kilometers per hour, waves and floods may overflow the dam.
After the National Hurricane Center (NHC) called the storm “extremely dangerous,” the National Weather Service urged in a tweet: “It’s time for action. Hurricane Ida is now expected to take the form of a Category 4 hurricane. Sign in.”
This level is the second highest of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane level, with a minimum wind speed of 130 miles per hour.
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NHC predicts that the storm surge on Cuba’s Youth Island will be 1.8 meters higher than normal, and warned on Friday that Jamaica and the Cayman Islands are expected to experience “life-threatening heavy rains, flash floods and mudslides.”
Ada hit the province of Pinar del Río, the epicenter of the current coronavirus in Cuba. As a precaution, more than 10,000 people were evacuated and the electricity supply was cut off before the storm.
In the capital Havana, public transportation was suspended at noon and thousands of people were evacuated.
Louisiana officials have ordered the mandatory evacuation of the flood protection zone in New Orleans (destructed by Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago this month) and coastal towns in the state that are vulnerable to flooding, such as Glen Island.
Grand Isle Police Chief Scooter Resweber told nola.com:
People are now packing and leaving. We know this will be a big deal.
Louisiana declared a state of emergency to prepare for the storm, which is expected to make landfall in the United States later on Sunday.
The statement was approved by President Joe Biden and will provide supplementary federal funds and assistance to southern states to strengthen their emergency preparedness and response efforts.
‘May be destructive’
Louisiana is often hit by major storms. New Orleans was still traumatized by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 80% of the city was flooded and more than 1,800 people died.
“It’s time for Louisianans to get ready,” the governor of the state, John Bell Edwards, urged residents on Twitter to “make sure you and your family are prepared for what’s to come.”
But New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell told residents of the city’s dike system to stay at home.
She told nola.com:
We don’t want anyone on the road, so we face greater danger. She added that a public shelter is being prepared for people who cannot evacuate but do not want to take refuge at home.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said that the storm may produce heavy rainfall and “considerable” flooding from southeastern Louisiana to coastal areas of Mississippi and Alabama.
The Hurricane Center pointed out: “Where the core of Ada moves to land, a potentially devastating wind disaster may occur.”
Last week, a rare tropical storm hit the coastal areas of the northeastern United States, causing thousands of Americans to lose power, uprooting trees and bringing record rainfall.
Henri missed New York City for a few miles, but was still forced to stop a star-studded Central Park concert, which was described as a “home” for a metropolis hit hard by the pandemic.
Scientists warn that as climate change causes the ocean surface to warm, the number of powerful cyclones will increase, posing an increasing threat to coastal communities around the world.
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