NEW ORLEANS —Saturday marks five years since Hurricane Ida devastated southeast Louisiana. It is also the 21st anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the 14th anniversary of Hurricane Isaac.One of my least favorite times of year in south Louisiana is late August. The names tell the story: Andrew, Katrina, Isaac, Laura and Ida. Gustav followed on Sept. 1.I remember forecasting Ida, covering it with wall-to-wall coverage for days, and knowing it was going to be bad. It certainly was. It rapidly strengt...
NEW ORLEANS —
Saturday marks five years since Hurricane Ida devastated southeast Louisiana. It is also the 21st anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the 14th anniversary of Hurricane Isaac.
One of my least favorite times of year in south Louisiana is late August. The names tell the story: Andrew, Katrina, Isaac, Laura and Ida. Gustav followed on Sept. 1.
I remember forecasting Ida, covering it with wall-to-wall coverage for days, and knowing it was going to be bad. It certainly was. It rapidly strengthened from a Category 1 to a Category 4 in 24 hours, from 85 mph to 150 mph at landfall.
Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon at 11:55 a.m. on Aug. 29, 2021, as a Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds. A nearby ship reported a 172 mph gust, while the anemometer at Grand Isle recorded 148 mph before it failed.
The hurricane remained remarkably powerful inland, carrying destructive winds through Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes before turning toward LaPlace. Homes and businesses were destroyed, trees and power lines came down, and communities were buried beneath debris.
Ida also pushed more than 10 feet of storm surge into parts of southeast Louisiana. Rainfall exceeded 15 inches in some areas, and at least 13 tornadoes touched down along the Mississippi Coast.
The destruction of the power grid created another disaster. Some residents remained without electricity for weeks during the intense summer heat. Ida caused 107 deaths, including 30 in Louisiana. Many occurred after landfall because of heat, carbon monoxide poisoning and dangerous cleanup conditions.
Ida arrived exactly 16 years after Katrina and nine years after Isaac. All three struck on Aug. 29, but each produced a different disaster.
That is an important reminder. No two hurricanes are the same. Their impacts depend on track, size, speed and strength.
Five years later, Ida can still feel like yesterday. Late August carries a lot of painful history here, and the lessons remain: build strong, build high, prepare for prolonged outages and never underestimate the next storm.