Hurricane Ida LIVE: Tens of thousands fleeing storm 'worse than Katrina' – latest updates

Ida is an “extremely dangerous” weather system which could plunge much of the Louisiana shoreline under water as the state grapples with a COVID-19 surge which is already placing hospitals under intense pressure. The storm intensified faster than officials had predicted on Saturday, as residents of the Gulf Coast evacuated and businesses shut down, and gathered more strength overnight, posing yet another headache for beleaguered US President Joe Biden.

Officials have ordered widespread evacuations of low-lying and coastal areas, jamming highways and leading some gasoline stations to run dry as residents and vacationers fled the seashore.

Rick Knabb, the Weather Channel’s hurricane expert, tweeted this morning: “Intensity forecast has #Ida with 100 mph max sustained winds at latitude of New Orleans, probably still hurricane at latitude of Baton Rouge. Both metros under hurricane warning.

“Could be worse wind event for New Orleans than Zeta or Katrina, and with more rain-induced flooding.”

Southern Louisiana is still feeling the after-effects of Hurricane Laura from a year ago.

To complicate the situation still further, the state also has the third-highest incidence of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in the US over the past seven days.

There were more than 3,400 new infections reported on Friday, and about 2,700 people are hospitalised with the virus.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said on Saturday that the storm could be the state’s worst direct hit by a hurricane since the 1850s.

He told a news conference: “The implications of having a Category 4 storm while hospitals are full are beyond what we normally contemplate.

“We have been talking to hospitals to make sure that their generators are working, that they have way more water on hand than normal, that they have PPE on hand.”

As of 9am GMT, Ida was located about 75 mile south of the mouth of the Mississippi River, carrying top sustained winds of 140 mph.

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5.48pm update: Piers Morgan issues warning before ‘monster storm’ Hurricane Ida hits ‘Will cause mayhem!’

Piers Morgan has wished those in Louisiana good luck as a “terrifying monster storm” heads towards the American state today, taking to Twitter to speak of the near-category 5 hurricane.

Piers Morgan took to social media today as an extreme weather warning was issued in the US state of Louisiana.

The former Good Morning Britain presenter dubbed Hurricane Ida a “monster storm”, after weather reporters predicted wind speeds could reach 150 mph.

The 56-year-old TV star said the “absolutely terrifying” storm is likely to cause “mayhem” when it closes in from the Gulf of Mexico.

4.48pm update: Ida not the only hurricane in North America…

In addition to Ida further north, Hurricane Nora has pounded the coast of west-central Mexico on Sunday with torrential rains and heavy winds that caused flooding, felled trees and damaged roads and power lines in several states.

Nora on Sunday morning was about 5 miles (10 kilometers) north of Mazatlan and moving north-north west at 10 miles per hour (17 km/h), the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

It had sustained winds of 75 mph (120km/h) with higher gusts.

Now a Category 1 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, Nora hit land on Saturday in the Tomatlan municipality, in the state of Jalisco, the National Meteorological Service of Mexico said.

The most intense hurricances to hit the USA:

The US Gulf Coast braced on Sunday for what could be one of the strongest storms to hit the continental United States in years.

As of Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported Hurricane Ida packed winds topping 150 miles per hour (240 km per hour), with minimum pressure recorded at 933 millibars (mb), and could gather more strength, forecasters said. (The lower the minimum pressure, the more intense the hurricane) The following are six of the most powerful hurricanes to make landfall on the mainland United States based on minimum pressure: – Florida Keys Labor Day hurricane, 1935, 892 mb The hurricane struck the Florida Keys as a Category 5, the highest ranking possible on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale.

It generated wind speeds of up to 200 miles per hour (322 km per hour) and killed more than 200 World War One veterans who were in the Keys to build a highway. After ravaging the Keys, the storm moved north off the western coast of Florida before turning inland. In all, more than 400 people died in Florida.

• Hurricane Camille, 1969, 900 mb Camille struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a Category 5 hurricane, bringing with it devastating storm tides and strong winds that demolished buildings and destroyed orchards. More than 200 people were killed.
• Hurricane Michael, 2018, 919 mb In October of 2018, Michael was the third most intense hurricane to make landfall on the continent, hitting the Florida Panhandle, with its minimum pressure recorded at 919 millibars (mb). Michael was a Category 5 hurricane at landfall, with sustained winds of 160 miles per hour (257 km per hour).
• Hurricane Katrina, 2005, 920 mb The hurricane made a direct hit on New Orleans as a Category 3 storm, causing levees and flood walls to fail in dozens of places. Most of New Orleans was flooded, and some people who were stranded in their homes climbed to their roof to await rescue. About 1,800 people died, according to the National Weather Service. Most victims were in Louisiana, but neighboring Mississippi also was hard hit. Katrina caused an estimated $108 billion in damage, making it the costliest hurricane ever to strike the United States.
• Hurricane Andrew, 1992, 922 mb Andrew struck South Miami-Dade County in Florida and caused an estimated $26 billion in damage. That ranked as the most expensive storm in US history until Hurricane Katrina inundated New Orleans and pummeled other parts of the U.S. South in 2005. More than a dozen people were directly killed by the storm in Florida, with others dying of indirect causes.
• The Indianola, Texas hurricane, 1886, 925 mb The hurricane destroyed the Texas town of Indianola, which at the time was vying with Galveston to become the state’s main port. Several dozen people were killed in the storm, which also ended a catastrophic drought in the region.

4.24pm update: “Damaging winds” set to spread “well inland“,warns NHC

The US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned of high winds which will reach well into the states of Louisiana and Mississippi.

A tweet warned: “As Hurricane #Ida moves inland later today and tonight, damaging winds, especially in gusts, will spread well inland across southeastern Louisiana and southwestern Mississippi.”

4.03pm update: “A powerful and dangerous storm”

Dr. Joseph Kanter, Louisiana’s chief medical official., said: “This is a powerful and dangerous storm.

“It is moving faster than we had thought it would be, so we have a little less time to prepare.

“There is a lot of COVID out there, there are a lot of risks out there.”

3.35pm update: Hurricane Ida tracker: Category 4 storm about to hit New Orleans – ‘DO NOT go outside!’

Hurricane IDA is about to make landfall in New Orleans, USA, after it was upgraded to a Category 4 storm with wind speeds of up to 150mph (240km/h).

The National Hurricane Center has urged the public to stay indoors and to prepare to hunker down for the next 24 hours.

Hurricane Ida has been growing in intensity over the last few days, and is now imminently about to make landfall in Louisiana.

The Category 4 storm has prompted authorities to make a desperate plea to the public, urging them to remain indoors at all costs.

3.16pm update: Ports closed as Ida approaches

Ports from southern Louisiana to Mississippi were closed on Sunday morning as Hurricane Ida raced toward the U.S. Gulf Coast as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm.

The Louisiana Offshore Oil Port (LOOP), the largest privately owned crude terminal in the United States, had also halted deliveries ahead of the storm, according to a notice on its website. LOOP’s terminal is located in the open waters of the US Gulf of Mexico, about 18 miles off the Louisiana shore.

Ports in southern Louisiana, including Houma and the Port of New Orleans were closed on Sunday, while in Mississippi Biloxi, Gulfport, Pascagoula and the Gulf Intercoastal Waterway were shut.

Ida has intensified faster than officials predicted, prompting evacuations along the Gulf Coast and business closures. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Saturday warned it could be the state’s worst direct hit since the 1850s.