Hurricane “Ida” hit land in the southern United States on Sunday. With extreme wind speeds and heavy rain, the cyclone caused great damage.
New Orleans – The strong hurricane “Ida” caused massive flooding and damage in the southern US state of Louisiana. In addition, more than a million people in the southern United States lost power due to storm damage. The true extent of the destruction of the extreme weather * will only become apparent from Monday (August 30), as soon as the storm has withdrawn in a northeasterly direction and rescue and recovery operations can begin, said Governor John Bel Edwards.
Hurricane “Ida”: Extreme wind speeds – warning of “life-threatening storm surge”
The hurricane * moved slowly over land on Sunday evening (local time) as a strong hurricane of level three of five, which is why the places in its path were exposed to extreme winds and heavy rainfall for a long time. Experts therefore feared great damage. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the cyclone would bring maximum sustained wind speeds of 195 kilometers per hour and even stronger gusts.
When it reached the coast, “Ida” even brought wind speeds of around 240 kilometers per hour with it. In addition, the NHC warned of heavy rain and a “life-threatening storm surge”. “Ida” has since been downgraded to category two. The cyclone now brings a maximum of sustained wind speeds of 175 kilometers per hour and even stronger gusts, according to the NHC.
Hurricane “Ida” causes great damage – power outage in New Orleans
“Ida” caused a meter-high storm surge * on some parts of the US coast. As US media reported, the force of the incoming water was so strong that the water in southern New Orleans in the Mississippi, according to measurements, flowed upriver for around three hours. Photos and videos showed houses that were under water, streets that became rivers, covered houses and numerous uprooted trees in the coastal areas. Low-lying areas southwest of the city of New Orleans, for which evacuation orders had mostly previously been issued, were particularly affected.
As the city operations center announced, the power went out in the entire city of New Orleans. “The only electricity in the city comes from generators,” they said. Around 400,000 people live in New Orleans. It is not to be expected that the supply will be restored anytime soon, said the utility Energy. Hurricane “Ida” damaged all eight lines responsible for supplying electricity to the city. The repair work continued. Overall, the website poweroutage.us reported that more than a million people in the southern United States were without electricity, mainly in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi *.
Hurricane “Ida”: At least one fatality – Biden promises help
In the US state of Louisiana * there are also reports of a first fatality from Hurricane “Ida”. In the community of Prairieville, a person was fatally injured by a falling tree, said the local sheriff’s office on Sunday evening (local time) on Facebook. When the police arrived, the officers could only determine the death of the victim. Further details were not initially known.
“Ida” struck Louisiana 16 years to the day after the arrival of the devastating hurricane “Katrina”. “Katrina” had caused catastrophic damage and floods in and around New Orleans. Around 1,800 people were killed at that time. Since then, however, billions have been invested in flood protection in the region.
“It will be a destructive hurricane, a life-threatening storm,” US President Joe Biden * warned in advance. “To the people of the Gulf Coast, I want you to know that we are praying for the best outcome and preparing for the worst.” Biden pledged the support of the US government to the people. “As soon as the storm is over, we will use all the power in this country to rescue and rebuild,” said the president. (ph / dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
Headline list image: © Eric Gay
