Hurricane “Ida” is about to take its next landfall after devastating the country of Cuba– and it may approach the United States as a Category 4 storm.
The hurricane is the ninth named storm of the year and the fourth hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Ida originated from a tropical wave first monitored by the last August 23, when it was moving into the Caribbean Sea, soon developing into a tropical storm on August 26.
The effects of the hurricane in Cuba were destructive. Numerous palm trees were downed on Isla de la Juventud due to harsh winds that struck the island. The island of La Fé alone recorded 80km/h winds and gusts up to 114km/h on August 27.
Many houses were also destroyed by strong winds and branches of trees were snapped in various areas. According to a local newspaper in the province, the cities of Los Palacios and Consolacion del Sur also experienced a loss of electricity.
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Authorities issued a Hurricane Warning for the next 36 hours to Louisiana, in the Intracoastal City to the Pearl River, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and metropolitan New Orleans.
The storm threat prompted a swift voluntary evacuation of residents in flood-prone New Orleans and in nearby areas of the Gulf of Mexico.
According to a series of tweets by Baston Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome, the mayor signed a parish-wide Emergency Disaster Declaration ahead of the expected arrival of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana which is in line with the State of Emergency declared by the Louisiana Government on Thursday.
“The local disaster declaration allows East Baton Rouge Parish (EBRP) to activate any and all necessary emergency plans, and grants the ability to request resources in the event local resources may be exceeded in response to the potential effects of Hurricane Ida,” Mayor Broome said.
Tropical storm warnings for the next 48 hours are issued to Alabama and Mississippi and Florida along its borders, while Storm Surge Warnings are issued for the Sabine Pass in Texas, and for the Mobile Bay in Alabama.
President Joe Biden also reportedly approved an emergency declaration for Louisiana and ordered federal help for the state on Friday.
