![]() The storm’s track put New Orleans on the eastern side - often called the dirty side - which generally sees much more significant effects than the western side.CHICAGO - We all knew it was coming sooner or later. The hurricane center predicted the peak storm surge could reach 10 feet to 15 feet (3 to 4.5 meters) along the Louisiana coast, with a possible surge of 7 to 11 feet (2.1 to 3.4 meters) in the New Orleans area. Saturday’s preseason NFL game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Saints at the Superdome was first moved up seven hours to avoid the weather, and then canceled altogether. ![]() “This is my first time being home in 34 years of service,” he added. “I know what that looks like,” Smith said, referring to the potential devastation. He loaded water, bread and sandwich meat into his SUV. Retired police officer Wondell Smith, who worked on the police force when Katrina hit, said he and his family were planning to stay, but were also getting ready to head farther inland if the forecasts worsened. Traffic snarled at entrances to a New Orleans Costco, where dozens of cars were backed up at the gas pumps and shoppers wheeled out carts stacked with cases of bottled water and other essentials. The Cuban government issued a hurricane warning for its westernmost provinces, where forecasters said as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain could fall in places, possibly unleashing deadly flash floods and mudslides.Īn even greater danger will then begin over the Gulf, where forecasts were aligned in predicting Ida will strengthen very quickly into a major hurricane before landfall in the Mississippi River delta late Sunday, the hurricane center said. Ida made its first landfall Friday afternoon on Cuba’s southern Isle of Youth. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said FEMA plans to send nearly 150 medical personnel and almost 50 ambulances to the Gulf Coast to assist strained hospitals. President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of the storm. One positive was that the number of COVID-19 patients had dropped from 988 to 836 over the past week - a 15% decline. Jennifer Avengo, the city’s health director.Īt the state’s largest hospital system, Ochsner Health System, officials ordered 10 days worth of fuel, food, drugs and other supplies and have backup fuel contracts for its generators. There’s little room for their patients elsewhere, with hospitals from Texas to Florida already reeling from a spike in coronavirus patients, said Dr. Officials decided against evacuating New Orleans hospitals. A tropical storm warning was extended to the Mississippi-Alabama line. He added: “Anybody that isn’t concerned has got something wrong with them.”Ī hurricane warning was issued for most of the Louisiana coast from Intracoastal City to the mouth of the Pearl River. “With a direct hit, ain’t no telling what’s going to be left - if anything,” Eichorn said. Ross Eichorn, a fishing guide on the coast about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans, said he fears warm Gulf waters will “make a monster” out of Ida. The storm is expected to make landfall on the exact date Hurricane Katrina devastated a large swath of the Gulf Coast exactly 16 years earlier. Other areas across the coastal region were under a mix of voluntary and mandatory evacuations. Earlier Friday, Cantrell called for a mandatory evacuation for residents outside the city’s levee protections - a relatively small sliver of the city’s population. Collin Arnold, the city’s emergency management director, said the city could be under high winds for about ten hours. “The city cannot order a mandatory evacuation because we don’t have the time.” Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.Ĭity officials said residents need to be prepared for prolonged power outages, and asked elderly residents to consider evacuating. With the storm intensifying so much over a short period of time, she said it wasn’t possible to order a mandatory evacuation which generally calls for using both lanes of highway traffic to evacuate people from the city. In New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell called for voluntary evacuations. The governor urged residents to quickly prepare, saying: “By nightfall tomorrow night, you need to be where you intend to be to ride out the storm.” kCHLfqEQAF- Tom Sorrells August 28, 2021 advisory and forecast track from the National Hurricane Center.
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