New Orleans: Hurricane storms that have rapidly hit Cuba on Friday and can accelerate in the warm bay waters and slam to Louisiana as category-3 storms on Sundays, the National Storm Center warns.
“The forecast trajectory has directly headed towards New Orleans.
Not good,” said Jim Konsin, a senior scientist with climate service.
New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell ordered the evacuation of everyone who lived outside the embankment system that protected the area from the flood.
He did not say how many people lived there, but urged residents with medical conditions and other special needs to come out early.
“Now it’s time,” said Cantrell.
Ida became a storm with a maximum wind of 75 mph (120 kilometers) Friday afternoon just before making the first landing on the island from the South Coast of Cuba.
The Cuban government issued a storm warning for the westernmost provinces, where the forecasters said that as many as 20 inches of rain could fall in places, maybe release flash floods and deadly landslides.
Even greater danger will then start from the bay, where the forecast is aligned in predicting Ida will strengthen very quickly into a large storm, reaching 120 mph (193 kph) before the landing in the Mississippi River Delta, the word center.
If the estimate is valid, Ida will reach 16 years to day since Hurricane Katrina landed as a Hurricane Category 3 with a wind of 125 mph (201 kilometers) near the Riverside Community of the Plaquemine Parish, at the end of Mississippi from New Orleans.
Katrina was blamed for an estimated 1,800 deaths from the middle of Louisiana beach around the Mississippi-alabama state line.
A massive surge surfaced the beach and wiped the house from the map.
In New Orleans, the failure of the federal embankment caused a flood of disaster.
Water covers 80% of the city and many houses are flooded with the roof.
Some victims drowned in their attic.
The Superdome and New Orleans convention center became a sharp misery scene because tens of thousands were stranded without any power or running water.
Katrina’s memories still haunted many who rushed to prepare for Ida on Friday, marching for food, gas, and ice, and the city offered sandbags.
Traffic grasped the entrance to Costco New Orleans, where dozens of cars were supported at a gas pump and wheeled wheelbarrow buyers stacked with cases of bottled water and other essence.
Wondell Police retired Wondell Smith, who worked on the police 16 years ago when Katrina hit, said he and his family planned to stay, but also get ready to go to the interior further if the forecast deteriorated.
He loaded meat, bread and sandwich to his SUV.
“This is the first time I was at home in 34 years of service,” he added.
“And I want to be prepared.” Kickoff for the pre-season match between Arizona Cardinals and the Saints in Superdome rose seven hours to avoid the weather, until the middle time, starting after consultation with city and federal officials.
“Ida certainly has the potential to be very bad,” said Brian McNoldy, a storm researcher at the University of Miami.
“It will move fast, so the journey across the bay from Cuba to Louisiana will only take 1.5 days.” A Hurricane Watch for New Orleans and an emergency declaration for the state of Louisiana stated.
“Unfortunately, all Louisiana coastlines are currently in a cone estimate” for the storm, said Governor John Bel Edwards.
“On Saturday night, everyone must be in the location where they intend to get out of the storm,” added the governor.
Storm jewelry applies from Cameron, Louisiana, to the border of Mississippi-Alabama, including Lake Pontcharrain, Lake Maurepas and Metropolitan New Orleans.
Surge malicious storms are also possible along the Gulf Coast.
If it encourages a high tide wave, Ida can overlap with several embankments, with water 7 to 11 feet predicted from Morgan City, Louisiana, to Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
“There is an increase in the risk of living storm waves, damaging the storm, and heavy rain and Monday, especially along the coast of Louisiana,” The Hurricane Center said.
The Mayor of Grand Isle, a city of Louisiana on a narrow island of barrier in the bay, said the voluntary evacuation Thursday night will be mandatory on Friday.
At that time it reached the peak of the Gulf Coast Sunday, it could throw 8 to 16 inches of rain, with 20 inches in remote areas, from Southeast Louisiana to the coast of Mississippi and Alabama until Monday morning.
More severe rain is likely to cross Mississippi when Ida moves into the interior, causing “Flash that is quite large, urban, small flow, and a river flood,” The Hurricane Center said.