Hurricane Ida Hits Louisiana: More Than 1 Million Without Power

NEW ORLEANS, LA — Hurricane Ida made landfall in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, Sunday morning as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of up to 150 miles per hour. The storm has since caused thousands of power outages in Louisiana and the flow of the Mississippi River to reverse, according to reports.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said during a 2 p.m. news conference that the state expects dangerous weather in the state to continue over the next 24 hours.

More than 1 million are without power in the New Orleans area as the storm makes its way up the coast, according to The Weather Channel and others. Local officials have warned residents, and visitors, to stay inside as the dangerous weather continues.

"Don't drive around now. It's just not worth it," Bel Edwards said, noting that even after the storm passes, resident should be prepared to shelter-in-place for about 72 hours. He said there's no anticipation of levees overtopping, which was the case 16 years ago when Hurricane Katrina hit the area.

Landfall for Hurricane Ida occurred 16 years to the day after Katrina, which ravaged New Orleans in the days after Aug. 29, 2005.

By 2 p.m., more than 200,000 households across Louisiana had no power. That includes nearly all customers in Plaquemines County.

The Louisiana National Guard has been activated, Bel Edwards said. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has responded to Louisiana and other nearby states.

"This is going to be a devastating hurricane," President Joe Biden said Sunday afternoon. "Take it very seriously."

Ida tied Hurricane Laura in 2020 and the Last Island Hurricane in 1856 as the strongest to ever hit Louisiana, according to CNN.

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