Hurricane Ida, Possible Category 4 To Hit Louisiana, Gulf Coast on Sunday

Aug. 28, 2021 (EIRNS)— Exactly 16 years after Category 3 Hurricane Katrina laid waste to New Orleans, as the protective barriers crumbled, Hurricane Ida is expected to reach a Category 4 (winds of 130-156 mph) by the time it hits approximately the same spot as Katrina sometime Sunday evening. At noon Saturday, Ida was just past the western tip of Cuba as a Category 1, with winds up to 85 mph, but the hot water in the Gulf is likely to push this to a Category 4, with 140 mph winds and a 10-15 foot storm surge possible, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. Tropical storm force winds may begin raking the coast, ahead of the storm center, as early as Sunday 2 a.m. CDT.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered in many areas. Officials expressed confidence that the levees rebuilt after Katrina will withstand the storm.