As I'm writing this on the evening of Saturday, Aug. 28th, Hurricane Ida is bearing down on the Louisiana coast just south of New Orleans. Churning over unusually warm waters, it is expected to strengthen into a monster Category 4 hurricane before making landfall on Sunday.
No matter where it's final landfall will be, the National Hurricane Center says the impact from storm surge, high winds and flooding rainfall will be catastrophic.
According to NOAA a Category 4 hurricane will cause catastrophic damage: "Well-built framed homes can sustain severe damage with loss of most of the roof structure and/or some exterior walls. Most trees will be snapped or uprooted and power poles downed. Fallen trees and power poles will isolate residential areas. Power outages will last weeks to possibly months. Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks or months." (Credit: NOAA's National Hurricane Center)
