Hurricane Ida hit the coast of the United States, hitting the state of Louisiana. Ida became one of the most powerful hurricanes in US history. By the time it hit Louisiana, Ida had intensified to a Category 4 storm out of five. In just five hours, peak winds increased from 72 km/h to 230 km/h as Ida hit Louisiana on the same day as Category 5 Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago (Livingston, 2021). That time, the hurricane broke a seawall and flooded the city of New Orleans.
Local authorities said that due to the rapid intensification of Hurricane Ida, 390,000 people did not have time to carry out a general evacuation. New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell urged residents to evacuate on their own or prepare for extended power outages. Nevertheless, “the media reported 91 deaths caused by Hurricane Ida across nine states, 56 (61.5%) of which occurred in the Northeast” (Hanchey et al., 2021, p. 1385). Although levees and drainage systems have been reinforced in New Orleans since the devastating Katrina flood, authorities are not ruling out the possibility of flooding this time as up to 61 cm of rain was expected in some areas. The Louisiana National Guard has prepared personnel and equipment, including vehicles and inflatable boats, to help with the storm’s aftermath. Companies have mobilized more than 10,000 workers across the state to deal with power outages.
Ida developed from a confluence of many low-latitude meteorological systems, beginning on August 14 with a tropical storm rising from the African coast. As it traveled gradually westward in the rainfall through atmosphere across the eastern tropical Atlantic, this storm was feeble and difficult to follow. Ida made a quick shift to the north-northwest soon after making landfall, and this movement took the eye over southeast Louisiana. Early on August 30, a persistent northerly, northwesterly motion placed the center approximately west of LaPlace (Beven et al., 2022). The cyclone’s energy gradually reduced as it went onshore, and by the time its core crossed over southeastern Mississippi, it had degraded to a tropical storm.
Ida’s Impact
Hurricane Ida hit the US energy industry – the effects were on economic growth, but their impact was relatively moderate. Ida affected the oil market; government statistics show that 95 percent of oil and gas production in the Gulf Coast region was halted when the Ida made landfall (Crutsinger, 2021). At the same time, this practice did not affect oil prices. During the auction, there was a drop of only 1.2 percent to $67.91 per barrel (Crutsinger, 2021). Many factories have been protected from hurricanes, but disruptions are still highly likely due to flooding, power outages, and staff displacement.
Meanwhile, corn futures fell to their lowest level in seven months. Grain is piling up with growers because it can’t be shipped down the Mississippi River, which runs through the main corn-growing regions of the US Midwest. Because of the hurricane, the river changed its direction. At the same time, there is an increased demand for the product.
Producer and distributor of agricultural fertilizers CF Industries suffered from disruptions in logistics. He stated that he could not fulfill the orders of his nitrogen complex in Donaldsonville (State of Louisiana). After that, prices for nitrogenous fertilizers skyrocketed. Hurricane Ida was a test for the US economy. Damage to insurers from Hurricane Ida in the United States amounted to $18 billion. (Livingston, 2021). As a result of the disaster, about a million people were left without electricity in Louisiana. The infrastructure of the nuclear power plant located in the region was damaged.
Preparation and Overcoming: Hurricanes
Modern technologies allow predicting environmental disasters long before they occur, which gives the possibility to evacuate the population and prepare appropriately. The hydrometeorological service, as a rule, gives a hurricane warning a few hours in advance. The recommendations are that doors, attic rooms, and dormer windows should be closed (CDC, 2019). It is also important to glue the glass with strips of paper or cloth. From balconies, loggias, and window sills, things that, if dropped, can cause injury to people are to be removed. The gas should be turned off; emergency lighting – lanterns, candles – should be prepared. Individuals are recommended to have a supply of water and food for 2-3 days (CDC, 2019). Medicines and dressings should be put in a safe and visible place. People are to keep radios and televisions constantly on: various messages and orders can be transmitted.
Then, it is essential to move people from light buildings to solid buildings. Beware of injury from glass and other flying objects. If one finds themselves in an open area, it is best to take cover in a ditch, pit, ravine, or any recess. Individuals should lie down on the bottom and snuggle tightly to the ground (CDC, 2019). The authorities are to allocate the necessary recourses – evacuation groups and temporary accommodations – for people who will be impacted by a hurricane.
Lessons Learned
The presented natural disaster that impacted the US to a considerable extent has revealed several important aspects to me. First, I figured out that modern technologies make it possible to predict and prepare for a hurricane in advance. The authorities can evacuate the population, enhance the availability of emergency services, and mobilize the required emergency groups. Second, such disasters significantly affect the economy to a great degree. The government should possess the resources needed to recover the economic affairs of a particular state or nation as a whole. Finally, I thoroughly learned the recommendations on how to behave in case of a hurricane.
References
Hanchey, A., Schnall, A., Bayleyegn, T., Jiva, S., Khan, A., Siegel, V., Funk, R., & Svendsen, E. (2021). Notes from the field: Deaths related to Hurricane Ida reported by media — nine states, August 29–September 9, 2021. Weekly /, 70(39), 1385–1386.
Beven, J. L., Hagen, A., & Berg, R. (2022). Hurricane Ida. National Hurricane Center. Web.
CDC. (2019). Preparing for a Hurricane or other tropical storm. Web.
Crutsinger, M. (2021). Economists foresee modest damage to US economy from Ida.Inside Logistics. Web.
Livingston, I. (2021). Ida’s impact from the Gulf Coast to Northeast — by the numbers.The Washington Post. Web.