TS Ida gains strength as Hurricane, causes flooding in Jamaica and Cuba
The streets of Havana, the capital, were deserted as residents closed their homes before Ida's arrival.
Jamaica was flooded by heavy rain, and there were landslides after the storm passed. Several roads were closed, forcing some people to leave their homes.
Ida is the ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the Atlantic hurricane season 2021. It may have exceeded the strength of Hurricane Laura, the last Category 4 hurricane that hit Louisiana after the time it hit the country. But it remains compared to Katrina, the Monster Category 5 storm that devastated the region in August 2005, leading to the death of more than 1,800 people.
Late Friday, Ida sustained winds of up to 80 miles per hour (129 km / h), according to the National Weather Services, which expected the storm to intensify significantly before turning into a major hurricane in southeastern Louisiana on Sunday.
Authorities in US coastal areas preparing for the storm have urged residents to move ships out of ports and encouraged early evacuations.
Forecasts have suggested that Ida may make landfall in the US as a robust Category 4 storm on the five-stage Sapphire-Simpson scale. It is expected to generate steady winds close to 140 km / h, heavy rain and tidal forces expecting much of the Louisiana coastline below a few feet of water to pour.
Forecasters said that high surf driven by hurricane winds - could reach between 10 and 15 feet nearby the mouth of the Mississippi River, with more profound levels continuing eastward along the adjacent shores of Mississippi and Alabama, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Amplified tornadoes, widespread power outages and inland floods from thunderstorms in the region were also expected.
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