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Photo: Chris Granger / AP
The USA is preparing for Hurricane Ida with evacuations and urgent warnings.
As a precaution, the Louisiana state authorities declared a state of emergency and called on people to get to safety.
Tens of thousands made their way out of the threatened areas with their vehicles.
On Saturday evening European time, US President Joe Biden wanted to find out more about the situation from the Fema disaster control agency.
According to the NHC weather service, "Ida", a particularly high category 4 hurricane, should hit land in Louisiana on Sunday - almost 16 years to the day after the devastation caused by Hurricane "Katrina".
Meteorologists expected wind speeds of 225 km / h.
"Louisiana residents only have until this evening to prepare for the hurricane," said Governor John Bel Edwards on Saturday.
He warned of "severe consequences across the state."
"The time to act is NOW"
On Saturday, the center of the storm was about 700 kilometers off the coast of Louisiana, with winds of almost 140 km / h.
Given the high water temperatures, observers expected the storm to intensify significantly.
"We fear an explosive development shortly before it reaches the US mainland," said chief meteorologist Jim Foerster of the DTN weather service.
For Louisiana and the coastal areas of Mississippi and Alabama, NHC predicted heavy rain, "significant" flooding and storm surges in the wake of the cyclone.
He classified "Ida" as "extremely dangerous".
"The time to act is NOW," said the agency on Twitter.
Category 4 is the second highest of the hurricane scale going up to level 5, it means wind speeds of at least 209 kilometers per hour.
According to the NHC, New Orleans is also threatened, where more than 1,800 people were killed in 2005 by "Katrina" and 80 percent of the city was flooded.
The city administration issued an evacuation order for areas that live outside the dyke and lock system that protects the low-lying city.
Coastal town evacuated
It is not possible to evacuate everyone in the city, the streets are not designed for that, said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
Many petrol stations were running out of gas, while long queues formed at others.
Cantrell called on New Orleans residents within the protection system to stay in their homes.
"We don't want people to take to the streets and put themselves in greater danger," she told the local news website, nola.com.
In addition, public shelters would be set up.
The evacuation of flood-prone coastal cities such as Grand Isle has also been ordered.
"People pack and leave town," Scooter Resweber, police chief of the 1,450-inhabitant town, told local media.
Oil industry facilities and a nuclear power station threatened
Apparently, large industrial regions lie in a corridor from New Orleans to Baton Rouge on the predicted path of the storm.
Weather expert Jeff Masters said it would go through "the absolutely worst place for a hurricane to come."
Many facilities in the oil industry, three ports and a nuclear power station could be affected.
According to the Reuters news agency, a large refinery has already temporarily ceased operations.
"Ida" hit the southwest coast of Cuba on Friday as a category 1 hurricane.
With wind speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour, it hit the city of La Coloma in the province of Pinar del Rio.
As a precaution, the electricity there was switched off and more than 10,000 people were brought to safety.
Thousands of residents have also been evacuated in the capital, Havana, and public transport has ceased.
Just last week, the tropical storm "Henri" caused power outages and floods in the northeastern United States.
According to the findings of scientists, climate change is causing rising temperatures on the sea surface and thus stronger cyclones, which are an increasing threat, especially for coastal locations around the world.
nis / AFP / Reuters / AP