– The storm left 1 million in New Orleans and the surrounding area without electricity
– The element struck exactly on the anniversary of the deadly Katrina
Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana with such force that it first stopped and then reversed the Mississippi River. A hydrologist from the local water department explained that this happened under the pressure of sea water, but added to CNN that the phenomenon is extremely unusual.
With winds of 240 km / h, Ida cut off electricity and left 1 million people in and around New Orleans without refrigerators and air conditioners. Torrential rains flooded the coast, and authorities warned that
tidal
waves can
reach 5 meters
This is the first serious test of the $ 14 billion dike system, built after the city was hit exactly 16 years ago by Hurricane Katrina – the deadliest so far, killing 1,800 people. Authorities said the system had worked.
Entering inland, the hurricane, which had reached grade 4, weakened to a tropical storm. President Biden has declared a major disaster situation for the region to use federal funding. One victim is currently reported. However, the National Guard has begun searching for victims, and the damage is appalling, CNN claims. According to meteorologists on television
Ida was 256
times larger
potential to destroy
from a first category hurricane.
Tens of thousands of residents were evacuated inland before the disaster came, but hospitals had no chance of doing so. There are almost 2,500 COVID-19 patients in them – many of them in intensive care units. The state Department of Health confirmed to Reuters that in a suburb of New Orleans, after a power outage, medics had to manually ventilate patients while they were moved to another floor.
Scientists are monitoring the formation of 5 tropical systems over the Atlantic Ocean. Kerry Emunel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told the Washington Post that “this is exactly what will happen to us as the planet warms.” Data from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Research Service recently showed that in the Gulf of Mexico area where Ida gained strength,
the water is a few
degrees warmer
compared to
the end of the twentieth century
In 2017, a publication by Emmanuel claimed that by the end of the century, an event could occur every 5-10 years, which until recently was considered possible once every 100 years – within 24 hours the wind speed to exceed 100-120 km / h or more.
Climate change also portends heavier rains in such storms, and it is known that the most destructive part of a hurricane is floods, not winds. For every degree of Celsius warmer air, the storm can retain 7% more moisture.
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