Umm Muhammed Umar

Hurricane Ida is expected to make landfall on Sunday evening in the US state of Louisiana. Tens of thousands of people are fleeing as Ida closes in from the Gulf of Mexico, where more than 80 oil rigs have been evacuated.

The BBC reports that Ida is now a category four hurricane, packing winds of 225kmph. A category four hurricane is just below the highest level, and, according to the BBC, has the potential to deliver a “life-threatening” storm surge .

Governor John Bel Edwards said that Ida could be one of the biggest storms to hit Louisiana in 150 years, warning residents, “Your window of time is closing.”  He added, “By the time you go to bed tonight you need to be where you intend to ride the storm out and you need to be as prepared as you can be, because weather will start to deteriorate very quickly tomorrow.” Highways were reportedly jammed with traffic as people fled.

Neighbouring Mississippi has declared a state of emergency. Meanwhile, Ida had earlier battered part of Cuba while Jamaica endured heavy rains. trees were felled and roofs ripped off.

Sunday marks the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which saw more than 1 800 people killed and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, predominantly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding areas. Experts warn that despite stronger storm defences now in place in New Orleans, if storm surges coincide with high tides, sea water could flood the the city again. The National Weather Service said that  conditions could be unliveable along the coast for a while and that areas around New Orleans and Baton Rouge faced the possibility of  being without power for weeks.