This past week, the Gulf Coast has been hit severely by Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 hurricane. Early Sunday morning, Ida made landfall in Louisiana near Port Fourchon and then later in Lafourche Parish at around 2 o’clock local time. Hurricane Ida consisted of roughly 150 mph winds, just 7 mph short of being considered a Category 5 storm. Ida was able to rapidly increase in size over the Gulf of Mexico, as warm waters from the Caribbean contributed to the expansion of the storm. As the tropical storm approached the southern coast of Louisiana, citizens were required to evacuate from certain areas, including those outside of the levee system in New Orleans. Others, such as those who lived inside the levee system, were not required to evacuate, but it was highly recommended that they do so. With this, thousands of people evacuated to get out of harm’s way. The alarming fact that left people in shock was that Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana on the same date that Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana 16 years earlier. Katrina is one of the most well known tropical storms to wreak havoc on the southern United States, leaving New Orleans underwater for nearly 20 days. While Ida is a Category 4 storm, Katrina was only a Category 3, which is disturbing because Ida would therefore be more powerful than what Katrina was. The thought of having a storm worse than Katrina left Louisiana residents worried. 

After Ida swept through Louisiana, it left an incomprehensible amount of damage. As of now, New Orleans is still without power, and one million residents are without power across the rest of the state. The damage caused by the flooding and high-speed winds left the state devastated. People have lost numerous sentimental items due to water damage from the flooding. Analysts estimate that around $10 billion will be spent in insurance repairs, which is around $80 billion less than what they spent after Katrina. The governor of Louisiana is telling those who evacuated to stay wherever they are at until it is safe to return to their homes. On top of this damage, there have been many people that have lost their lives because of this storm. As the storm continued to move up through the country and into the Northeast. At least 42 people have been confirmed dead because of the storm. Cities, such as Philadelphia, have also experienced flooding from Ida, but the storm was not nearly as strong as it was when it hit the Southeastern United States. As the people of the United States mourn the tragedy that has occured, federal assistance has been given to help clean up the areas affected by Ida the most. On the 16th anniversary of one of the United States’ most notorious hurricanes, the Gulf Coast was hit by yet another tropical storm, absolutely devastating thousands of people.