Hurricane Ida rages in the United States and turns into a severe fourth category storm

Hurricane Ida is a severe Category 4 storm today, the same day it made landfall in the US state of Louisiana. People have fled New Orleans and other coastal areas in droves due to the massive damage expected.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported early overnight (local time) that the hurricane had reached wind speeds of up to 215 kilometers per hour. The center expects Ida to make landfall as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm with “life-threatening flooding.” This probably happens in the evening or early the following night. Last year around this time America also facing a violent hurricane: Laura.

BREAKING UPDATE: Hurricane Ida is now a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph. https://t.co/t21tw46PLf

• Currently 50 miles from the Louisiana coast

• NHC: “Catastrophic wind damage is likely”

• “Extremely deadly storm surge” over 9 feet “is imminent”, says NHC pic.twitter.com/i4TGKNY5cZ

– NBC News (@NBCNews) August 29, 2021

Hurricane Ida hits the United States

Tens of thousands of people have been displaced in the coastal area. Images from local media show that yesterday there were long traffic jams on the roads in the interior. The national weather service calls people in areas for which an evacuation order has been issued to actually leave. This advice also applies to people who do not have to leave their homes, but who live in the area.

Governor John Bel Edwards warned yesterday that the hurricane could be the worst to hit the state since 1850. Meteorologists “are very confident about the current trajectory and intensity forecast for Hurricane Ida. And you don’t often hear them speak with such certainty, ”Edwards told reporters.

Louisiana President Joe Biden has declared a state of emergency and pledged to help as soon as possible after the storm hits.

Wow. Hurricane Ida is shaping up to be an absolutely terrifying monster storm – approaching Category 5, winds of 150 mph, and an “eye” 17 miles wide. One of the biggest hurricanes in American history. It will cause chaos when it crashes into Louisiana in a few hours – good luck everyone. ?? pic.twitter.com/6Fv6hfkbkX

– Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) August 29, 2021

16 years after Katrina

Ida comes exactly sixteen years after devastating Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters in American history. New Orleans, Louisiana’s largest city, was 80% underwater at the time. More than 1,800 people lost their lives as a result of the natural disaster. The damage amounted to billions of dollars.

VVD member Kamp in Buitenhof on formation of deadlocked cabinet: “Very sad”