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Hurricane Ida might hit Louisiana on Katrina anniversary, 'damage might be worse'

'Please. Get out now. You still have time. 16 years to the day of Katrina. #Ida'

Hurricane Ida hit Cuba on Friday, August 27 and threatened to strike into Louisiana with destructive force over the weekend, leading to evacuations in New Orleans and across the coastal region.

On Friday, August 27, Ida escalated rapidly from a tropical storm to a hurricane with top winds of 80 mph (128 kph) as it crossed western Cuba and entered the Gulf of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center foretold that Ida would grow into an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane, with top winds of 140 mph (225 kph) before making landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast on Sunday, August 29. “This will be a life-altering storm for those who aren’t prepared,” National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott said during a Friday news conference with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards. Edwards urged the citizens to quickly prepare, saying: “By nightfall tomorrow night, you need to be where you intend to be to ride out the storm.”

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New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell commanded a mandatory evacuation for a small area of the city outside the ridge system. But as the storm strengthen so much over a short time, she said it wasn’t possible to do so for the entire city. That generally calls for using all lanes of some highways to leave the city. “The city cannot order a mandatory evacuation because we don’t have the time,” Cantrell said.

President Joe Biden signed a federal emergency declaration for Louisiana ahead of the storm. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said FEMA plans to send around 150 medical personnel and almost 50 ambulances to the Gulf Coast to assist strained hospitals. 

On late Friday night, the storm was 105 miles (165 kilometers) west of Havana and traveling northwest at 15 mph (24 kph). An even bigger danger will then begin over the Gulf, where forecasts were aligned in predicting Ida will grow very quickly into a major hurricane before landfall in the Mississippi River delta late Sunday, August 29, the hurricane center said.

If that forecast turns out to be true, Ida would hit 16 years to the day when Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm with 125 mph (201 kph) winds near the riverside community of Buras, just down the Mississippi River from New Orleans. Over 1,800 people from the central Louisiana coast to around the Mississippi-Alabama state line were killed from Katrina. A massive storm flood washed the shores and wiped houses off the map. In New Orleans, failures of federal levees resulted in catastrophic flooding. Water covered 80% of the city and many homes were flooded to the roof. Many people drowned in their attics while much faced loss of property. The Superdome and New Orleans Convention Center became scenes of scorching misery as tens of thousands were stranded without power or running water. Memories of Katrina still haunt many who scrambled to prepare for Ida on Friday, lining up for groceries, gas and ice, as well as sandbags that the city was offering.

As soon as the latest prediction came to light people started talking about it. One person said, "Remember to keep saws, screwdrivers, hammers, that don't require electricity. Ladders if you are trapped or sheltering in place! You may need to get out onto your roof or out windows that are stuck as the surge, engulfs structures! Many people were trapped in attics during Katrina!" While another one said, "Last time there were many who couldn't get out but there were also those who expected to be taken care of & others to do for them. When it is a disaster of such magnitude you can NOT depend on others to take care of you. LISTEN to the ER posts. Help those you know have no one." Another person said, "Bro they’re saying ida is going to be way worse than Katrina"

One person tweeted, "Hurricane Ida hitting on the anniversary of Katrina not sitting right with me. Prayers are up to all my Louisiana fam." While another one tweeted, "Please. Get out now. You still have time. 16 years to the day of Katrina. #Ida." Calling the co-incidence insane, another one said, "I cannot believe Ida is striking on the same date Katrina did, and the damage might be worse. Now I know it’s hurricane season, but these odds are insane."