Hurricane Ida hit a strong hurricane early this morning and is expected to cause a sudden surge of thunderstorms, catastrophic winds and heavy rains with flooding north of the Gulf Coast, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC). .
The hurricane is now 170 kilometers southeast of the Mississippi River estuary, with a maximum wind speed of 185 kilometers per hour, the NHC announced today.
Both Louisiana and neighboring Mississippi are threatened with flooding due to rising sea levels.
“Louisiana residents have until late at night to prepare for Hurricane Ida,” said Gov. John Bell Edwards yesterday, expressing grave concern about “serious” disasters across the region.
Louisiana is facing an outbreak of infection from COVID-19, while today it is expected to be hit by Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Ida is expected to hit the U.S. coast today as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane could flood most of the Louisiana coastline as the state battles an outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic it is experiencing. the resilience of hospitals.
The reported storm intensified yesterday, faster than the officials predicted, as residents of the Gulf Coast were evacuated from their homes and businesses closed.
Southern Louisiana is still facing the effects of Hurricane Laura a year ago.
Louisiana also records the third highest number of COVID-19 infections per 100,000 population in the United States in the last seven days.
Gov. John Bell Edwards said yesterday that Hurricane Ida winds will be strong and will hit an area of 482 kilometers, while the reported hurricane could develop into the worst extreme weather blow the state will receive since 1850.
Louisiana received a devastating blow last week 16 years ago from Hurricane Katrina, which killed 1,800 people.
The state has no plans to evacuate hospitals under pressure from admitting patients with COVID-19, Edwards said.
On Friday, more than 3,400 new cases of COVID-19 were reported, and about 2,700 people were being treated for coronavirus.
With information from ΑΠΕ – ΜΠΕ
