‘Your Window of Time is Closing’ To Escape Hurricane Ida, Louisiana Gov. Warns — Storm Expected to Be One of the Strongest to Hit State Since 1850s

Sarah RumpfAug 28th, 2021, 7:52 pm
 

Preparations are underway in Louisiana as Hurricane Ida approaches, and the state’s governor issued a dire warning to residents to evacuate immediately or be prepared to ride out the storm where they are now.

CNN Newsroom host Pamela Brown played a clip of Gov. John Bel Edwards (D-LA) speaking at a press conference about the hurricane. Ida is currently a Category 2 storm but is expected to make landfall on Sunday as at least a Category 4.

August 29 also marks the sixteenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Category 5 storm that devastated the New Orleans area, killing more than 1,800 and causing $125 billion in damages.

Edwards “pulled no punches” in his warnings about Ida, said Brown, introducing the video clip.

“This will be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit anywhere in Louisiana since at least the 1850s,” said Edwards. “We can also tell you that your window of time is closing. It is rapidly closing. Just like we said yesterday, by the time you go to bed tonight, you need to be where you intend to ride this storm out.”

Ida will strengthen overnight, reported Brown, fueled by the warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico, but the storm’s intensity was far from the only concern. The sheer size of the storm and storm surge that could reach 15 feet, severe flooding had been predicted and storm warnings issued as far east as the Alabama-Florida border.

Watch the video above, via CNN.

Tags:
Sarah Rumpf - Contributing Editor

Sarah Rumpf joined Mediaite in 2020 and is a Contributing Editor focusing on politics, law, and the media. A native Floridian, Sarah attended the University of Florida, graduating with a double major in Political Science and German, and earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the UF College of Law. Sarah's writing has been featured at National Review, The Daily Beast, Reason, Law&Crime, Independent Journal Review, Texas Monthly, The Capitolist, Breitbart Texas, Townhall, RedState, The Orlando Sentinel, and the Austin-American Statesman, and her political commentary has led to appearances on television, radio, and podcast programs across the globe. Follow Sarah on Threads, Twitter, and Bluesky.