Scientists have warned of rising cyclone activity as ocean surface warms due to climate change, posing an increasing threat to coastal communities.
Hurricane Ida tore through the southern United States as a Category 4 storm wreaking deadly havoc. The city of New Orleans was still without power almost 24 hours after Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast, exactly 16 years from the day Hurricane Katrina made landfall.
The death toll from Hurricane Ida was expected to climb considerably, the Louisiana Governor warned on Monday. One person was killed by a falling tree in Prairieville, 60 miles northwest of New Orleans. Rescuers combed through the 'catastrophic' damage wreaked through the southern United States.
Images of people being plucked from flooded cars and pictures of destroyed homes surfaced on social media, while the damage in New Orleans itself remained limited. Broken branches, glasses, and other debris littered New Orleans's downtown. A number of trees were also uprooted.
The hurricane knocked out power for all of New Orleans, with more than a million properties across Louisiana without power, according to outage tracker PowerOutage.US. Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm early Monday.
Seeing the enormity, US President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for Louisiana and Mississippi, which gives these states access to federal aid. Louisiana had deployed more than 1,600 personnel to conduct search and rescue across the state.
Scientists have warned of a rise in cyclone activity as the ocean surface warms due to climate change, posing an increasing threat to the world's coastal communities.
1. Hurricane Ida batters US state of Louisiana
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All of New Orleans loses power after 'catastrophic transmission damage' as Hurricane Ida batters the US state of Louisiana.
(Image Source: Reuters)
2. Waves crash against lighthouse on Lake Pontchartrain
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Waves crash against a lighthouse on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans. Ida made landfall with winds of 230 km/h, tying it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland US
(Image Source: Reuters)
3. Traffic hit hard by Hurricane Ida
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Traffic moves bumper to bumper along I-10 west as residents arrive into Texas from the Louisiana border ahead of Cat 4 Hurricane Ida's expected landfall in Louisiana on Sunday.
(Image Source: Reuters)
4. Ida makes landfall 16 years after Hurricane Katrina
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Ida made landfall on the same day 16 years earlier that Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi, and its 150 mph (230 kph) winds tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland.
(Image Source: Reuters)
5. Life-threatening river flooding
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Destructive winds and water already had a catastrophic impact along the southeast coast of Louisiana, and life-threatening river flooding continued well inland, the National Hurricane Center said.
(Image Source: Reuters)
