The 4 PM advisory from the National Hurricane Center says Ida has strengthened into a Category two storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 miles per hour. It’s moving northwest at 16 miles per hour and located 325 miles southeast of Houma.
Ida is forecasted to make landfall as a Category Four Hurricane in Terrebonne Parish Sunday night and then it will turn north towards Baton Rouge. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Schott
“When you have a storm moving at about 15 or so miles per hour directly into the middle of the state you are going to have a significant, large path of wind damage, trees down, power outages,” said National Weather Service Meteorologist Benjamin Schott.
National Hurricane Center models are calling for 10 to 15 feet of storm surge from the mouth of the Mississippi to Morgan City, and surge levels are lower, but still dangerously high across the entire rest of the state’s coastline.
“The extent of the impacts are going to be far away from where this makes landfall so for anyone with coastal interests understand that you will see a significant amount of water,” said Schott.
Interior tidal lakes like Lake Ponchartrain are expected to see four to six feet of surge. Mandatory evacuations are now in effect for Terrebonne, and St. Charles Parishes.
10 to 15 inches of rain is expected across most of Southeast Louisiana and 15 to 20 inches of rain is possible in some areas depending on where rain bands set up shop. Schott warned this makes inland river flooding a very real possibility.
Governor John Bel Edwards called for Louisianans to take care of business and find a place to hunker down for potentially the next few days. Edwards said you need to figure out what you are doing by Saturday night.
“Please do not drive once conditions deteriorate, that’s why it is important that you do everything that is possible in advance and get to a place where you want to ride out the storm,” said Edwards who added that he knows this is short notice but the storm is developing faster than most thought it would “Hurricane Ida is rapidly intensifying and the situation is changing it seems by the hour.”
Edwards says about 125 busses will be staged and ready to transport people if needed, the majority of which will be in New Orleans. The National Guard is also on standby to respond.
“Search and rescue assets are currently staged in 13 parishes. We do have 64 high water vehicles, 60 boats, and 13 helicopters ready to support and assist the citizens of Louisiana,” said Edwards.
5,000 linemen have been pre-positioned in the state to begin immediately restoring power after the storm passes.
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