Hurricane Ida recently struck Louisiana, USA, causing major destruction in the region. After originating from a tropical wave moving into the Caribbean Sea, the hurricane moved inland along the state’s Gulf Coast.
On Sunday morning, professionals confirmed the hurricane’s status as a category 4. This marks the natural disaster as extremely dangerous since catastrophic damage is expected.
According to officials, this could be the strongest hurricane to hit Louisiana in at least 165 years. Striking the state during Katrina’s 16th anniversary, one of the region’s most destructive hurricanes, citizens were reminded of the terrible consequences and feared what may come next.
Over 560,000 people were left powerless across Louisiana. Entergy, a company in New Orleans dedicated to electric power production, reported this situation to the citizens. Their alert on Sunday evening stated that the entire Orleans Parish was without power “due to catastrophic transmission damage.” As all transmission lines that deliver power to the city were damaged, the little power supplying the population is coming from generators.
However, Orleans Parish was not the only area in the state that was deeply affected. The Ascension Parish reported a victim of Hurricane Ida on Sunday night. After receiving a call from a person injured by a fallen tree, deputies arrived at the scene and confirmed the first death caused by the storm.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards requested a major disaster declaration on Sunday night, which president Biden granted. Therefore, all federal agencies were ordered to offer aid for recovery on a state and local level.
“Hurricane Ida is one of the strongest storms to ever hit Louisiana,” Governor Edwards said. “It is our goal to assist our local agencies and the citizens of the state as quickly as possible, and we have pre-positioned search and rescue teams, boats, and other assets to begin helping people as soon as it is safe.”
Hurricane Ida is expected to continue striking the United States in the following days. Mississippi, Tennessee, and areas of the Mid-Atlantic are among the predicted regions.
Bibliography
Hudson, K. (2021, August 28) People in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, fill up sand bags as they prepare for Hurricane Ida to make landfall. [Photograph] Vox. https://www.vox.com/2021/8/28/22645870/hurricane-ida-gulf-coast-storm
Maury, T. (2021, August 31) Homes in LaPlace, Louisiana, were damaged by Ida’s winds and rain when the Category 4 storm made landfall. [Photograph] The New York Post. https://nypost.com/2021/08/31/photos-show-hurricane-idas-impact-on-louisiana/
Santana, R., et. al. (2021, August 30) Hurricane Ida lashes Louisiana, knocks out New Orleans power. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-ida-115ff1a54e18d9eee61a81afa8df9fad
The New York Times (2021, September 1) Hurricane Ida Makes Landfall as an ‘Extremely Dangerous Major’ Storm. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/tropical-storm-ida-hurricane.html
Vera, A. (2021, August 30) First death reported in Louisiana as Hurricane Ida continues wreaking havoc across southern US. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2021/08/29/weather/hurricane-ida-sunday/index.html
Weather.com Meteorologists. Hurricane Ida Rapidly Intensifying Near Cuba; Forecast To Slam Gulf Coast As A Major Hurricane Sunday. [Photograph] The Weather Channel. https://weather.com/safety/hurricane/news/2021-08-27-tropical-storm-hurricane-ida-forecast-gulf