Hurricane Ida, one of the most powerful storms ever to threaten the U.S. coastline, brought dangerous storm surge and powerful winds to southern Louisiana on Sunday, testing a $14 billion system of levees around New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s catastrophic landfall.
The forecast from the National Hurricane Center at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT local time) showed Ida boasting 150 mph sustained maximum winds — making it a higher-end Category 4 “major” hurricane — as it closed within 60 miles of the mouth of the Mississippi River, moving 13 mph. The storm made landfall near Port Fourchon at around 11:55 a.m. local time, the agency said in a follow-up tweet.
1155 AM CDT: #Ida made landfall as an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph and a minimum central pressure of 930 mb (27.46 inches) https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB pic.twitter.com/iHdKMGk0tq
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 29, 2021
“If you are in Hurricane #Ida’s path, your only job right now is to stay safely in place. Find the safest place in your house, ride out the storm and stay there until the storm passes,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a tweet.
67-YEAR-OLD AL ROKER BRAVES LASHING WAVES FOR HURRICANE IDA FORECAST AND TELLS DOUBTERS ‘SCREW YOU’
The effects of the storm have already been felt for hours before landfall, and officials encouraged people who had not evacuated to shelter in place. Although much of the attention is placed on the center of the hurricane, forecasters warn that places stretching out for many miles, including inland, are under threat from heavy rainfall, flooding, and strong winds. Widespread power outages are already being reported, and the lights may not come back on for days, if not weeks, in some places.
#Ida has been impacting southern LA and MS. At this point stay put. Stay away from any exterior walls and windows. DO NOT go outside. #mswx #lawx pic.twitter.com/Cw0jPIGUuh
— NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) August 29, 2021
Storm surge could get as high as 16 feet in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Mississippi River, according to the National Hurricane Center, and reach double-digit heights in other places nearby.
09:05 am: Hurricane #Ida is still off the LA coast. If you are not in shelter, shelter in place immediately. Go to an interior room or a small room with no windows. Stay put durning this time. #lawx #mswx pic.twitter.com/k2QQlErNin
— NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) August 29, 2021
Rainfall is expected to reach 10 to 18 inches, and some isolated areas could accumulate as much as 24 inches across southeast Louisiana into far southern Mississippi through Monday, the agency said.
After Katrina devastated New Orleans and the surrounding area in 2005, causing more than 1,800 deaths and $100 billion in damage, a system of pumps, floodwalls, and levees was rebuilt. Levees may be over-topped as Ida hits, and localized flooding is possible, but officials have expressed confidence that the system will hold and is vastly more capable of reducing the threat of storm surge.
“This is a very differently protected city than it was 16 years ago,” said Ramsey Green, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s deputy chief administrative officer for infrastructure, according to NOLA.com.
?? GULFPORT, MS — Portions of Jones Park and the Port of Gulfport are underwater as storm surge from Hurricane #Ida continues to push onshore. Parts of U.S. 90 are impassable. pic.twitter.com/rk4vSJQlZK
— Brantly Keiek (@BrantlyWx) August 29, 2021
President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi, unlocking federal resources to assist local officials with the response to the storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed thousands of people across the Gulf Coast region.
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Following landfall, Ida is forecast to weaken quickly and move across the Middle Tennessee Valley and Upper Ohio Valley throughout the week.
