The city of New Orleans is preparing for the arrival of Ida, which is expected to hit the coasts of Louisina as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday, more powerful even than Hucarán Katrina and one of the deadliest in US history.
Local and state authorities
have already begun to evacuate the areas most vulnerable
to the passage of the hurricane, with their minds set on the destruction caused by Katrina 16 years ago and the health emergency due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The meteorological phenomenon increased in intensity on Friday afternoon as it passed through Cuba, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), and is expected to strengthen as it comes into contact with warm waters. from the Gulf of Mexico and head to New Orleans.
As of 4:00 a.m. EST Saturday, Ida's eye was 185 miles (300 kilometers) west-northwest of Havana and 510 miles (825 km) southeast of New Orleans, according to the last part.
It was traveling at 16 miles per hour (26 kilometers per hour), with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 km / h).
"This will be a life-changing storm for those who are unprepared," National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott said during a news conference Friday with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. University of Miami Brian McNoldy told The Associated Press that "
Ida has the potential to be very harmful
."
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The governor declared a state of emergency due to the hurricane warning.
"By Saturday night, everyone should be at the site where they plan to pass the storm," Edwards warned.
President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of the storm.
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) plans to send about 150 medical staff and nearly 50 ambulances to the Gulf Coast to assist hospitals.
"There is a life-threatening storm surge flood hazard along much of the Louisiana coast and along the Mississippi coast, where a storm surge advisory is in effect. Residents of these areas they must follow the advice of local authorities, "the NHC noted.
Flooding from rising tides could be life threatening.
Within the Morgan City, Louisiana area, to the mouth of the Mississippi River, 10 to 15 feet of rain can fall above sea level, while from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Ocean Springs it could drop between 7 to 11 feet. .
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell ordered the mandatory evacuation of a small area of the city located outside the levee system.
Given the rapid intensification of Ida, he assured that it is not possible to evacuate the entire city.
A satellite image shows Tropical Storm Ida after forming in the Caribbean, about 75 miles (125 kilometers) northwest of Grand Cayman.
"The city cannot order a mandatory evacuation because we don't have time," Cantrell said.
For his part, the mayor of Grand Isle, a Louisiana town on a narrow island in the Gulf, called for a voluntary evacuation of the area Thursday night and said it would be mandatory on Friday.
Citizens must be prepared for prolonged power outages, authorities said.
Memories from the past
The devastation and commotion that Katrina caused on August 29, 2005 as a Category 3 hurricane, precisely the same day that Ida is forecast to hit, and the coronavirus health crisis, which has state hospitals at the limit of infected patients for COVID-19, they add pressure to the arrival of Ida.
Katrina left more than 1,800 dead, thousands of people lost their homes and left incalculable environmental damage and millions of dollars in economic losses.
The devastated area took years to recover and residents were traumatized by the catastrophe that was experienced.
In parallel, New Orleans suffers a serious outbreak with an average of 220 new COVID-19 infections a day, according to official data from the city.
3,400 new cases were confirmed statewide on Friday and at least 2,684 people are hospitalized from the virus.
As a result, authorities decided not to evacuate the New Orleans hospitals as medical centers in the area have little capacity to receive new patients.
"We are faced with a natural catastrophe in the middle of a pandemic. Our prayer and our hope is that everyone prepares for both very seriously and very thoroughly," said New Orleans public health director, Dr. Jennifer Avengo.
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The Gulf Coast, on high alert
The hurricane watch extends from Intracoastal City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama border, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and the New Orleans metropolitan area.
The storm is expected to drop 6 to 10 inches of rain, with highs of 15, in parts of
Jamaica, Cuba and the Cayman Islands
, with the possibility of more intense rainfall in isolated areas.
In Louisiana it could leave between 8 and 16 inches of rain, even 20 in some areas.
Depending on the tide, when Ida approaches shore,
storm surges
of 7 to 11 feet are expected between Morgan City, Louisiana, and Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
"The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause
normally dry areas near the coast to flood
with increased water currents moving inland from the coast," according to the National Hurricane Center.
At the same time, the NHC announced the formation of a new tropical depression, baptized for now as Ten, on the Atlantic Ocean heading towards the Caribbean.
With information from The Associated Press and NBC News.
