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Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Louisiana

By Fernando Alfonso III, Mike Hayes, Judson Jones, Adrienne Vogt, Meg Wagner, Aditi Sangal, Kathryn Snowdon and Jack Guy, CNN

Updated 8:22 a.m. ET, August 30, 2021

31 Posts

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1:45 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

Hurricane Ida tied for strongest storm to ever hit Louisiana

From CNN's Brandon Miller

With Hurricane Ida making landfall as a 150 mph Category 4 hurricane, it is now tied for the strongest storm to ever make landfall in Louisiana.

By the numbers:

Hurricane Ida ties Laura (2020) and the Last Island Hurricane in 1856 as the strongest to hit LA (all had 150 mph top winds).
Louisiana becomes the first US state to record a 150+ mph hurricanes in back-to-back years (Laura and Ida)
A 150 mph Category 4 hurricane has more than 250 times the damage potential of a 75 mph Category 1 storm, per NOAA analyses
Hurricane Ida’s hurricane-force winds extend 50 miles from the center, and tropical storm-force winds stretch 150 miles from center. The center is forecast to pass about 30 miles west of New Orleans.
New Orleans has received over 65 inches so far this year, their second wettest on record to this point of the year. This will make flooding in the region worse. New Orleans is expecting 15-20 inches of rain with Ida.

1:46 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

A number of New Orleans sewage and pump stations are experiencing power outages

From CNN’s Gregory Lemos and Rebekah Riess

The Sewage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) said Sunday that there are a number of sewage pump stations on both the East and West Banks of New Orleans currently experiencing power outages.

“This increases the potential for sewer backups in homes. We urge those residents who still have power to minimize wastewater leaving their homes by not running your dishwasher or washing clothes,” the board said in a tweet Sunday.

SWBNO said those stations will be out of service until Hurricane Ida passes and it is safe for SWBNO to make assessments. However, generators are being deployed to assist with the outages at the pump stations, according to Ramsey Green, deputy chief administrative officer for infrastructure with New Orleans.

“If you don't need to use water, don't use it for the moment. Okay, for the moment, you don't need to use water. Just be conservative with it,” Green said.

1:22 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

More than 100,000 customers without power as Hurricane Ida slams into Louisiana

From CNN’s Gregory Lemos

There are now more than 100,000 customers without power in Louisiana as Hurricane Ida bears down.

According to poweroutage.us, 104,892 customers are without power as a result of Hurricane Ida, an increase of more than 24,000 in just 50 minutes.

There were 80,154 customers without power at 12:24 p.m. ET.

Power outages are expected to increase as the storm moves inland.

12:58 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

Hurricane Ida makes landfall in Louisiana

From CNN's Dave Hennen

Hurricane Ida has made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, as an extremely dangerous, Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

More from the NHC:

12:55 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

Lousiana's St. John the Baptist Parish enacts curfew ahead of Hurricane Ida

From CNN's Paul Murphy

St. John the Baptist Parish has enacted a parish-wide curfew starting tonight, according to an emergency alert.

The curfew starts tonight at 6 p.m. p.m. local time, and lasts until 7 a.m.

The parish is located two parishes west of New Orleans and is bordered by three lakes: Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Lac des Allemands.

12:38 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

Video shows deteriorating conditions on Grand Isle, Louisiana, as Ida approaches

From CNN's Amanda Jackson

Grand Isle, Louisiana, on August 29, 2021. Joshua Legg

Joshua Legg stayed on Grand Isle, Louisiana, to ride out Hurricane Ida and witness the worsening conditions as the storm approaches.

"We’re losing roofs right now," Legg, who is a former police officer, told CNN over Facebook.

Legg said his home is safe and he is in a “cat5 rated structure.” He said he was a police officer for 15 years and still works with SAR (Search and Rescue) to help his community.

Watch:

12:26 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

Here's what it looks like inside the eye of Hurricane Ida

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plane captured video from inside the eye of Hurricane Ida on Sunday morning.

Watch:

2:00 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

Energy provider says some residents could be without power for weeks due to Hurricane Ida

From CNN’s Gregory Lemos

Bourbon Street is near empty ahead of Hurricane Ida in New Orleans on August 29, 2021. David Grunfeld/The Advocate/AP

As Hurricane Ida approaches the coast of Louisiana, Energy Louisiana said Sunday some of its customers could be without power for weeks.

“The extremely dangerous storm is expected to make landfall in southeastern Louisiana in the early afternoon today and move through Mississippi. Those in the hardest-hit areas could experience power outages for weeks,” the company said in a statement.

The company warned that while 90% of customers will likely have their power restored in a timely manner, flooding and storm damage may prevent crews from accessing certain areas.

The company said it expects to deploy around 16,000 restoration personnel once the storm passes.

“Crews are standing by to assess damages and quickly and safely restore power as conditions allow. With the additional requested resources, we anticipate mobilizing a storm team of about 16K to support restoration efforts,” Energy Louisiana tweeted.

According to its website, Entergy delivers electricity to 3 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Entergy Louisiana serves approximately 1.1 million electric customers in 58 parishes, the company says.

There are nearly 77,000 customers without power throughout the state currently, according to poweroutage.us.

12:17 p.m. ET, August 29, 2021

Ida's extremely dangerous eyewall is moving onshore in southeast Louisiana

by CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen

The very dangerous northern eyewall of Hurricane Ida is moving onshore along the southeast Louisiana coast, according to the 12 p.m. EDT update from the National Hurricane Center.

The eyewall is the most dangerous part of a hurricane, which contains the highest winds.

The storm continues to pack winds of 150 mph with higher gusts and is still an extremely dangerous, Category 4 hurricane.

The center of Ida was located around 25 miles from Grand Isle, Louisiana. A wind gust of 104 mph was recently reported at Southwest Pass, Louisiana.

Ida will be making landfall over the next hour or so when the center of the eye is halfway over the coast. Extreme winds and surge will accompany landfall over the next several hours.