As expected, the tropical storm “Ida” had gained strength before it reached Cuba. The US hurricane center warned of flash floods and landslides. He will probably hit the US coast on Sunday.
Nueva Gerona / New Orleans – A level one hurricane, storm “Ida” swept across Cuba.
It had gained strength in the Caribbean on Friday just before it landed on the Cuban island of Isla de la Juventud – according to the US state hurricane center NHC, sustained winds of 130 kilometers per hour were measured. According to reports by Cuban state media, there were power outages and trees fell. Thousands of people have been evacuated, and local public transport has ceased in the capital, Havana.
The NHC warned that a life-threatening storm surge and heavy rains, flash floods and landslides were expected in western Cuba, but also in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. “Ida” is expected to move across the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday night (local time), regain strength there and reach the US coast on Sunday in the US state of Louisiana as a dangerously strong hurricane. Most forecasts now assumed that “Ida” could temporarily become a four-out-of-five hurricane, the NHC said. If a storm of this intensity hits land, “catastrophic damage” can be expected.
According to the forecast, “Ida” could also hit New Orleans on Sunday afternoon (local time) – exactly 16 years after the city was devastated by Hurricane “Katrina”. In Louisiana, Governor John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency. He mobilized the National Guard and called on citizens to prepare for the storm. Widespread power outages and floods are to be expected. President Joe Biden also declared the state a state of emergency. This means that additional help can be mobilized and paid for quickly.
A tropical cyclone is considered a hurricane from 119 kilometers per hour, the fourth of the five stages is reached at at least 209 kilometers per hour, the highest from 252 kilometers per hour. The hurricane season in the Atlantic lasts from June to November. It was particularly intense last year. According to the NHC, the cyclone activity in the Atlantic basin has so far been well above average this year as well. According to experts, the increasing intensity of tropical cyclones, which need warm water to form, is a consequence of climate change.
“Ida” is the fourth Atlantic hurricane of the season. Another hurricane was also expected in the Pacific at the weekend – storm “Nora” moved towards Mexico’s west coast on Friday. dpa
