Hurricane Ida made landfall on the Louisiana shore yesterday as one of the most powerful storms to ever impact the United States, with winds reaching 240 kilometers per hour.

On the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which killed over 1,800 people and cost $100 billion in damage, the Category 4 storm slammed Port Fourchon at 11:55 a.m. local time, the second-highest in the rating system.

Large swaths of Louisiana and Mississippi were evacuated as the region braced for a "catastrophic storm surge," according to the National Hurricane Centre. Storms could stretch up to 225 kilometers, putting the region's levees and infrastructure, which were restored after Katrina, to the test. Its wind speed was only around 10 kilometers per hour shy of being classified as a hurricane in the top five categories.

“Ida will most definitely be stronger than Katrina, and by a significant margin,” said Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami. “Moreover, the brunt of the storm will pass over New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which were hit by Katrina's weaker side.”

As 1.5m-high waves neared coastal Mississippi yesterday, some flooding was already recorded in southeast Louisiana. In Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, a state of emergency has been issued. Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi are all under a separate tornado watch.

Ida, which landed around 100 kilometers south of New Orleans, was described by meteorologists as an "absolute monster."

“Watching it makes me sick to my stomach,” Eric Blake, a forecaster at the National Hurricane Centre, said. “It's been a humbling morning.”

Hundreds of thousands of people obeyed Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards' call to evacuate ahead of the life-threatening hurricane.

Long traffic jams were reported on highways leading out of Louisiana and Mississippi, prompting residents to seek refuge on back routes.

Yesterday, “insane” lines were reported at New Orleans Louis Armstrong International Airport, only to be followed by the cancellation of all flights.

One woman informed a local television station that “all the hotels within a 100-mile radius appear to be booked.” “There are no rental cars available to get us out of here.” And I suppose the next stop is Airbnb, but that would require me to travel into downtown New Orleans, which is where the hurricane is expected to strike.”

Those who had been unable to flee were encouraged to seek shelter rather than risk being caught out on the roads when severe gusts were expected.

Despite being stronger than Katrina, officials are hoping that the $14 billion spent on levees and storm protection would help it escape the same level of devastation.

Mr. Bel Edwards stated, "All of our modelings show that the most populous parts of south-east Louisiana inside that system will be protected from storm surge."

While the floodwalls and levees protect downtown New Orleans, neighboring parishes are still exposed to the storm surge, which could reach five meters. About 80,000 homes and businesses were without power before Ida made landfall.

The mayor of Baton Rouge, Sharon Weston Broome, said the city has been stockpiling supplies ahead of Hurricane Ida.

“Right now, we're asking people to seek shelter. “This is not the time to try to flee,” she explained.

The states' problem has been worsened by the coronavirus epidemic, which has spread rapidly in a region where vaccination rates are lower than elsewhere.

Mr. Bel Edwards stated that some room has been cleared in Louisiana's hospitals. Hospitals could not be evacuated. “They all have generators,” says the narrator. They've got the fuel, additional food, and other supplies they'll need.

“However, we expect the wind to cause power outages across much of south-east Louisiana. It's impossible to estimate how long the power outage will last today. And that starts to put your systems to the test.”

President Joe Biden signed emergency declarations in Louisiana and Mississippi.

He warned that Ida was morphing into a "very, very dangerous storm," and said he had already begun coordinating arrangements with power companies in anticipation of widespread power outages that might last weeks.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has dispatched almost 2,000 personnel to six southern states ahead of the hurricane.