Hurricane Ida expected to be ‘catastrophic’ category 4, Louisiana governor warns amid evacuation efforts

Hurricane Ida, the massive storm set to make contact with Louisiana on Sunday, is looking even stronger than expected, governor John Bel Edwards said at a press conference on Friday.

“Hurricane Ida is rapidly intensifying and the situation is changing it seems by the hour,” he said during his remarks. “We now believe there is a strong likelihood this will be a category 4 storm at landfall, that’s how quickly the storm is developing.”

According to the National Hurricane Center, category 4 storms mean “catastrophic damage will occur,” including winds of at least 130 mph and widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.

Ida will likely make landfall in the US on Sunday – the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina – and is intensifying “ahead of schedule,” the governor added. He urged Louisianans to finalise their preparations for the hurricane over the next 24 hours.

“The next 24 hours are very, very important,” he said. “Now is the time to finish your prep. I want to encourage everyone to understand, by nightfall tomorrow night, you need to be where you intend to ride out the storm , and you need to be postured how you want to be as that storm approaches you.”

The White House has granted the state’s request, made late on Thursday, for a pre-landfall federal declaration of emergency for the “very serious storm.”

“This is stronger than [Hurricane] Laura was last year,” said Benjamin Schott, of the National Weather Service. “This will be a life-altering storm for those who aren’t prepared for what Ida is going to throw at us later this weekend.”

Residents can expect the storm to hit the coast first, then work its way inland, moving at a rate of 15 mph. Authorities warned that risks extended beyond just the coasts, as high winds and anywhere between 10 and 20 inches of rain hit inland areas, swelling local waterways and likely causing flooding.

They cautioned that once people have found a safe area in which to shelter, residents should stay put as much as possible once the storm arrives, since driving during hurricane conditions is highly dangerous.

The mayor of New Orleans has called for a mandatory evacuation of anyone living outside the city’s levee protection system when Ida arrives, on the sixteenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Parishes including Terrebone, Lafourche, Jefferson, Plaquemines, Orleans, St. Charles, Grand Isle, have called for a combination of mandatory and voluntary evacuations ahead of the storm.

Medical officials asked residents to avoid going to the emergency room if possible, to preserve capacity for storm victims. They also cautioned that factors not related to the storm directly, such as auto accidents and problems with electric generators, are leading causes of death during hurricanes.

Louisiana Covid vaccine and testing sites in the south of the state are already shutting down, with more closures to come, and officials said those whose second dose of the vaccine may be postponed should try to reschedule for a later date. They noted the vaccine will still be safe and effective if the second dose is given slightly after the normal interval between jabs.

An NFL preseason game between the New Orleans Saints and the Arizona Cardinals has been cancelled.