Ida Makes Landfall Near New Orleans as a Category 4 Hurricane – WSJ

NEW ORLEANS Ida made landfall near New Orleans at midday on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane, bringing pounding rain, catastrophic winds and dangerous sea surges in the fiercest storm to batter the city since Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago.

Hurricane Ida intensified early Sunday with sustained winds of 150 miles an hour after crossing the warmest and deepest part of the Gulf of Mexico, reaching the second-highest classification for hurricanes. Local officials urged people to shelter in place, and many people said they were already losing power.

Strong winds whipped through New Orleans, where normally busy streets were largely empty after many people in the hurricane s path heeded evacuation orders. Those who stayed behind were hunkering down on Sunday.

via www.wsj.com

I hope their storm defenses are much better now than they were before Katrina.