Louisiana residents flee as Hurricane Ida moves into category four before landfall

Hurricane Ida struck Cuba on August 27 and it is expected to make landfall on Sunday evening. Thousands of residents are fleeing Louisiana as Hurricane Ida is expected to ravage the state. Ida is now a Category Four hurricane, with up to 145 mph sustained winds. Heavy traffic was seen on Coastal highways on Saturday, August 29 as people moved to escape the storm’s path.

Residents flee Louisiana

Ida is expected to be stronger than Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts, as per a report by BBC. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards in the press conference on Saturday, August 28, pointed out that a federal levee system has seen improvements since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005. Edwards added, "this system is going to be tested". According to The Associated Press, the storm has arrived on the exact date as Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Addressing a press briefing, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said that the storm could be one of the strongest to hit Louisiana since at least the 1850s. Edwards urged residents to prepare quickly and added that conditions will begin deteriorating early morning on August 29. He informed that 5,000 National Guard troops were being staged search and rescue efforts with high-water vehicles, boats and helicopters and 10,000 linemen were on standby for power outages. 

National Hurricane Center has informed that IDA continues to strengthen and is expected to make landfall in Southeastern Louisiana later today. National Hurricane Center on Twitter predicted that there is a danger of life-threatening storm surge inundation on August 29 along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama within the Storm Surge Warning area. National Hurricane Center warned "Ida is expected to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it reaches the coast of Southeastern Louisiana".  

National Hurricane Center has predicted that Ida may cause damaging winds that will spread across portions of Southeastern Louisiana and Southwestern Mississippi on August 29 night and August 30 early morning. The winds could possibly lead to tree damage and power outages. It is expected that Ida will produce heavy rainfall across the central Gulf Coast from Southeastern Louisiana, Coastal Mississippi, Southwestern Alabama. 

IMAGE: AP

Inputs from AP