WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2021) Hurricane Ida could become one of the strongest storms to hit the US state of Louisiana since the 1850s, Governor John Bel Edwards has warned.
Hurricane Ida is expected to strike the Louisiana coast west of New Orleans as a Category 4 storm on Sunday.
"This will be one of the strongest storms to hit Louisiana since at least the 1850s. Preparations need to be complete and you need to be where you intend to ride out the storm by tonight. Conditions will begin deteriorating early tomorrow morning. Stay vigilant," Edwards said on Twitter on Saturday.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell warned on Saturday that Hurricane Ida was not going to weaken and urged people to self-evacuate.
Earlier on Saturday, Hurricane Ida was upgraded to a Category 2.
Cuban media reported on Saturday that the storm did not cause any significant damage to Cuba on Friday. Ida moved from Cuba to the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday night. According to the US government, over 90 percent of crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was cut on Saturday ahead of Ida's arrival.
The US National Hurricane Center warned late on Saturday that Ida was strengthening rapidly ahead of landfall and that life-threatening conditions were expected along the Northern Gulf Coast starting Sunday morning.
