Hurricane Ida Barrels Down on Louisiana amid Warnings of ‘Life-altering Storm’

THE GUARDIAN: Tens of thousands in US face evacuation orders as storm makes first landfall in Cuba, sparking fears of floods and mudslides

Hurricane Ida rapidly gained strength on Friday evening as communities in southern Louisiana braced for a major category 4 storm with sustained winds of about 140mph and tens of thousands of residents were placed under mandatory evacuation orders.

The hurricane is due to make landfall in the US on Sunday, with officials warning of a “life-altering storm”. The cities of New Orleans and Lafayette, as well as the state capital, Baton Rouge, are under threat from Ida, which is forecast to reach the US somewhere between the parishes of Terrebone and St Mary, slightly west of New Orleans.

“Hurricane Ida is rapidly intensifying and the situation is changing, it seems, by the hour,” said John Bel Edwards, the governor, at a briefing on Friday evening. “Now is the time to finish your preparations. By nightfall tomorrow night, you need to be where you intend to ride out the storm, and you need to be postured as you would want to be as the storm approaches you.”

Ida made its first landfall Friday afternoon on Cuba’s southern Isle of Youth. The Cuban government issued a hurricane warning for its westernmost provinces, where forecasters said as much as 20in (50cm) of rain could fall in places, possibly unleashing deadly flash floods and mudslides. » | Oliver Laughland in New Orleans | Saturday, August 28, 2021