Ida hits Louisiana with winds of 240 km/h
POLITICS
30.08.2021 | 15:26Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm with winds of 240 km/h (150 miles per hour), one of the strongest storms to hit the region since Hurricane Katrina, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said.
Ida has since been downgraded to a tropical storm and is expected to move farther inland over southeastern Louisiana and into southwestern Mississippi later this morning, the National Hurricane Center said. Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 60 mph (95 km/h) with higher gusts.
Late Sunday, President Joe Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Louisiana, unlocking federal funding for recovery efforts.
The storm is expected to weaken rapidly over the next day or so, and the NHC said Ida is expected to become a tropical depression by this evening. The NHC warned that a life-threatening storm surge is expected for Grand Isle, Louisiana, to the Alabama/Florida border, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans.