Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Louisiana, reverses flow of Mississippi River

The USA's National Hurricane Center (NHC) informed that Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm on Sunday afternoon. 

"Ida made landfall as an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph and a minimum central pressure of 930 mb," the NHC said in a tweet. Ida upgraded to a Category 4 hurricane hours before making landfall.

Hurricane Ida makes landfall

The National Hurricane Center had previously stated that the storm was “expected to be an exceptionally major hurricane when it reaches landfall,” adding that “rapid weakening” would most certainly follow.

Hurricane Ida's enormous strength was on show on Sunday as the storm rerouted the Mississippi River. On Sunday afternoon, after Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane that rapidly intensified, the river momentarily flowed from south to north. The remarkable "negative flow" of the Mississippi River was recorded by a river gauge at Belle Chasse, just southeast of New Orleans, according to the US Geological Survey.

White House declares emergency

In the days preceding Ida's arrival, the Mississippi was discharging approximately 350,000 cubic feet (9,910 cubic metres) of water each second. Upstream, water flowed at a rate of 40,000 cubic feet (1,132 cubic metres) per second, according to reports. That is an enormous volume of water to turn around. Ida is projected to bring 16 feet (5 metres) of storm surge inland, with the heaviest inundation spanning from the petrochemical hub of Port Fourchon to the Mississippi River's mouth. The river flows change in direction indicates how tremendous the surge was.

The White House has informed that US President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency in Mississippi ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Ida. A statement released by the White House, on Saturday, said, "The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures."

Residents flee Louisiana

Meanwhile, thousands of people are fleeing Louisiana as Hurricane Ida is predicted to wreak havoc. Ida is now a Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of up to 145 mph. On Saturday, 29 August, heavy traffic was visible on coastal roadways as people sought to avoid the storm's course. In the northern Gulf of Mexico, the storm was moving northwest at 15 mph. Ida's arrival comes exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina devastated Louisiana, leaving the state in shambles. Heavy rain and high wind gusts are moving towards the northern Gulf Coast as far east as the Florida Panhandle.

(With inputs from AP, Image: AP)