Exactly 16 years after the devastating hurricane “Katrina”, New Orleans is threatened by a new storm. “Ida” is likely to hit the Louisiana coast as an extremely dangerous cyclone.
New Orleans – An extremely dangerous hurricane is heading for the US Gulf Coast this weekend. The authorities are warning of severe damage and flooding, especially in the state of Louisiana.
Governor John Bel Edwards urged everyone to move to a safe place. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned the state and the city of New Orleans would face massive rainfall, a dangerous storm surge and catastrophic gusts of wind.
16 years after Hurricane “Katrina”
Hurricane “Ida” is forecast to hit land on Sunday evening (local time) in Louisiana as an “extremely dangerous large hurricane”, as the NHC warned. That would be exactly 16 years to the day after the arrival of the devastating hurricane “Katrina”, which caused catastrophic damage and floods in and around New Orleans. Around 1,800 people were killed at that time. Since then, billions have been invested in flood protection in the region.
On Saturday, Ida continued to gain strength over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico and was upgraded to a level two of four hurricane. The NHC expected the strength of the storm system to increase rapidly. When it arrives in Louisiana, it is predicted to be a magnitude four hurricane. Such a storm system brings wind speeds of more than 209 kilometers per hour with it and usually triggers “catastrophic destruction”. According to the NHC, severe damage, flooding and prolonged power outages are to be expected.
“Hurricane Ida poses a direct threat to the people of New Orleans,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Because of the rapidly approaching storm, there is no more time to order the evacuation of the entire city. She therefore only ordered the evacuation of particularly endangered areas that lie outside the flood dams. All citizens are called upon to go to a sheltered place before the storm arrives.
In addition to storm damage, flooding as a result of the expected heavy rain and storm surges are particularly dangerous for the city, which is known as a jazz metropolis. New Orleans is almost entirely surrounded by water – Lake Pontchartrain to the north and Lake Borgne to the east, and the wetlands along the Mississippi Estuary to the south.
“Life-threatening” storm surge
On parts of the Louisiana coast, west of New Orleans, a “life-threatening” storm surge of up to 4.5 meters in height can be expected, the NHC warned. For Lake Borgne a good three meters can be expected, for Lake Pontchartrain a good two meters. The governor of Louisiana mobilized the National Guard and declared a state of emergency to mobilize additional aid beforehand. Traffic was jammed on the highways leading out of the city.
US President Joe Biden received a briefing from the Fema civil protection agency about the storm and urged all citizens to get to safety. Fema has already sent 500 emergency services as well as water and food supplies and generators to the region, he said. The Coast Guard brought 18 helicopters and numerous boats into the region for rescue missions.
“Ida” hit the west of Cuba on Friday as a level one of five cyclones. According to reports from the state media, “Ida” caused power outages there and trees fell over. Thousands of people have been evacuated, and local public transport has ceased in the capital, Havana. “Ida” is the fourth Atlantic hurricane of the season.
Meanwhile, in the Pacific, Hurricane “Nora” set course for Mexico. With wind speeds of up to 120 kilometers per hour, he will move along Mexico’s southwest coast on Saturday, said the US hurricane center Miami. The US agency warned of heavy rainfall, flash floods and landslides in several states, including Jalisco and Guerrero. “Nora” had therefore previously developed in the Pacific from a storm to a level one hurricane. dpa
