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Hurricane "Ida" mercilessly hits the US coast: Dramatic warnings of a 240 km / h storm

2021-08-29T22:22:01.618Z


Hurricane "Ida" hit the USA. The storm left a trail of devastation after just a few hours. Thousands of households have no electricity.


Hurricane "Ida" hit the USA.

The storm left a trail of devastation after just a few hours.

Thousands of households have no electricity.

  • Hurricane "Ida" hits the US coast of Louisiana.

    (Update from August 29th, 7.15 p.m.)

  • "Ida" gained strength on Sunday.

    Experts estimate its wind speeds at up to 240 km / h.

  • The authorities in the state of Louisiana are urging its citizens to get to safety.

    Severe damage and flooding are expected.

Update from August 29th, 10:15 pm:

Shortly after the hurricane hit land on the US coast, the operations center in the city of New Orleans reported "widespread power outages".

The interactive map of the local energy supplier Entergy showed around 170,000 households without electricity, as reported by the dpa.

According to the Poweroutage.us website, around 233,000 customers across the state were without power.

In New Orleans, the emergency services stopped working for the time being because of the dangerous winds.

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Hurricane "Ida" left devastation after just a few hours.

© Eric Gay / dpa / AP

The NHC measured a water level two meters higher in a coastal wetland south of New Orleans.

At the city's airport there are gusts of wind at a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour.

According to Louisiana's Governor John Bel Edwards, rescue workers will not be able to enter the areas worst hit by storm surges until Monday morning.

As long as Hurricane "Ida" raged over the coastal areas, it was too dangerous for the aid workers, said Edwards on Sunday.

Hurricane "Ida" hits the US coast with full force

Update from August 29th, 7:15 pm:

Category 4 hurricane "Ida" hit land in the US state of Louisiana. The hurricane hit the coast southwest of the city of New Orleans near Port Fourchon, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). "Dangerous winds, especially in gusts, spread inland," it says on their website. The NHC also warns of a very high tidal wave in the region and massive rainfall that will lead to flooding.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards feared the hurricane could be the worst in the state in around 170 years, reports the BR.

On Twitter, he insists on staying at home.

"Find the safest place in your house and stay there until the storm is over," he writes.

The NHC wrote that you should look for a “small room, a closet, a bathroom” with as few windows as possible.

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A news team stands in the water of Lake Pontchartrain when they report on the approaching hurricane "Ida".

© Gerald Herbert / dpa

Update from August 29, 1.40 p.m

.: Hurricane "Ida" has now reached a wind speed of 150 mph - more than 150 km / h - reported the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

A cyclone of this strength - Category 4 - wreaks havoc.

Hurricane "Ida" rushes to the US coast authorities are now warning of "extremely dangerous hurricane"

First report from August 29th:

New Orleans - The force with which hurricane “Ida” will hit land is still unclear at first.

The Air Force hurricane fighters updated data on the hurricane on Sunday morning.

But US weather experts warn of an "extremely dangerous hurricane".

Hurricane "Ida" traveling at more than 209 km / h

"'Ida' continues to intensify rapidly this morning and is now a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph," tweeted the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

130 mph corresponds to wind speeds of more than 209 kilometers per hour and usually triggers "catastrophic destruction".

New Orleans would have to reckon with heavy rain and a "life-threatening storm surge", catastrophic gusts of wind and long-lasting power outages, warns the NHC.

The regions hit could become uninhabitable for weeks.

The civil protection agency Fema has already brought 500 emergency services as well as 1.6 million liters of drinking water, a million meals and generators to the region, said the White House.

The coast guard brought 18 helicopters and numerous boats into position for rescue operations.

New Orleans Airport canceled all scheduled flights for Sunday.

Local public transport in the city was stopped on Saturday evening.

When will Hurricane "Ida" hit land?

According to the forecasts, "Ida" will land on Sunday afternoon or evening (local time) in Louisiana.

Winds with tropical gale force could hit New Orleans and the surrounding area on Sunday morning.

That would be exactly 16 years to the day after the arrival of the devastating hurricane "Katrina" *, which caused catastrophic damage and floods in and around New Orleans.

Around 1,800 people were killed at that time.

Since then, billions have been invested in flood protection in the region.

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Hurricane Ida is approaching the US Gulf Coast - "extremely dangerous hurricane".

© Eric Gay / dpa

"August 29th is an important date in history here," Collin Arnold, director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, told CNN on Saturday.

"A lot of people remember what happened 16 years ago."

Governor Edwards warned on Saturday that "Ida" would be one of the strongest storms since 1850 when it hits Louisiana.

All citizens should be in a safe place by evening (local time).

The first storms can be expected from Sunday morning.

2:00 AM CDT August 29 - Data from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicates that #Ida continues to rapidly intensify this morning and is now a Category 4 Hurricane, with maximum sustained winds of 130 mph.



Latest at https: // t.co/tW4KeGdBFb pic.twitter.com/EFwoHG5wYz

- National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 29, 2021

Hurricane "Ida" - Time is running out

On parts of the Louisiana coast, west of New Orleans, a "life-threatening" storm surge of up to 4.5 meters in height is to be expected, the NHC warned.

At Lake Borgne a good three meters can be expected, at Lake Pontchartrain a good two meters.

Flood warnings also applied to the west of the neighboring state of Mississippi.

Because of the rapidly approaching storm, there was no time to order a compulsory evacuation of the entire city of New Orleans, said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.

She therefore only ordered the evacuation of particularly endangered areas that lie outside the dams. 

Hurricane "Ida": Thousands of people evacuated in Cuba

"Ida" swept over Cuba on Friday *.

According to reports by Cuban state media, there were power outages and trees fell.

Thousands of people have been evacuated, and local public transport has ceased in the capital, Havana.

(ml with material from dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

List of rubric lists: © Eric Gay / dpa / AP

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-08-29

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