Louisiana was preparing for Hurricane Ida on Friday, which could intensify and become “extremely dangerous” when it makes landfall this weekend, as the 16th anniversary approaches one of the most severe weather episodes in the world. knew the region: Katrina.
Hurricane Ida of category 1 on a scale that has 5, was located Friday evening 70 kilometers from the Cuban Island of Youth, according to the latest bulletin from the American Hurricane Center (NHC) Accompanied by winds blowing up to 130 km / h, Ida is advancing at a speed of 24 km / h towards the northwest and should make landfall Sunday on the Gulf Coast where Louisiana and Mississippi are located, according to the NHC.
The American Hurricane Center estimates that it could then become “a major hurricane” and “extremely dangerous”, reaching a category 4 and potentially carrying winds of more than 200 km / h.
Mandatory evacuations
Joe Biden on Friday approved a declaration of state of emergency for Louisiana to bring a “federal assistant” to preparedness efforts, with voluntary and mandatory evacuation orders having been issued in some places.
“This is an extreme challenge for our state,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said in a statement, as his state is currently facing a new outbreak of Covid-19, which is bringing hospitals to their knees.
“It is time for the residents of Louisiana to prepare,” urged the governor, who clarified that by Saturday evening each resident should be in a safe shelter. “Make sure you and your family are prepared for any eventuality,” he pleaded.
New Orleans in particular anticipates potential damage. “We are on the east side on the path of the storm, we foresee significant repercussions,” tweeted the mayor of the city LaToya Cantrell on Friday. More than the winds, it is the rains and the rise in sea level that are particularly dangerous.
Louisiana, a state in the south of the country, is frequently hit by hurricanes. And has not yet fully healed the wounds inflicted by the trauma of 2005, when Katrina ravaged Louisiana and killed more than 1,800. During this traumatic episode, New Orleans was 80% flooded, when the dikes protecting the city had given way.