Beijing News (reporter Luan Ruoxi) "This is a 'life-threatening' storm that may cause huge damage. U.S. President Joe Biden said at a meeting of the U.S. Federal Emergency Measures Agency (FEMA).
The storm biden mentions is Hurricane Ida.
On August 29, local time, "Ada" landed in Louisiana, USA, with winds as high as 150 miles per hour (240 kilometers per hour). Louisiana Gov. Edwards said Ida was one of the strongest storms to hit the state since the 1850s.
Large-scale power outages, roofs overturned by strong winds, and flooding in some areas are the most intuitive feelings brought by "Ada". Parts of southeastern Louisiana have also experienced catastrophic storm surges, high winds, and flash floods due to strong winds and torrential rains.
Subsequently, Biden declared a major disaster in Louisiana and ordered federal bailouts.
Adverse weather conditions have also affected the search and rescue efforts. Edwards explained that it is very dangerous to carry out search and rescue work when the hurricane is fierce, and will launch a strong search and rescue operation when conditions permit, and about 21 search and rescue teams are ready to carry out emergency search and rescue after the storm subsides.
Hurricane Ada caused power outages for more than a million users
Compared with the time of landfall, the intensity of Hurricane Ada is now significantly reduced.
According to the Associated Press, weather forecasters pointed out that "Ada" is slowly downgrading to a tropical storm after 16 hours of invading Louisiana.
The ABC noted that Ada had killed a U.S. resident. Probably because the hurricane blew down the trunk, the trunk fell into the homes of the residents, causing their deaths.
Hurricane Ada has killed one person and lost power in new Orleans. /Social media screenshots
Hurricanes have now caused widespread power outages. According to PowerOutage.US data, more than 1 million users in Louisiana and Mississippi have lost power. CNN noted that the number of blackout users is expected to continue to increase as Hurricane Ada moves inland.
Among them, all circuits in New Orleans have been interrupted. Local energy supplier Entergy said Hurricane Ada caused "catastrophic transmission damage," the city of New Orleans will remain in the dark for some time, and the eight transmission lines that carry electricity to the city have stopped working, leaving loads in the area unbalanced, resulting in power generation disruptions.
Heavy rainfall also triggered flooding, and on the evening of August 29, local time, the National Weather Service issued an emergency warning, requiring residents in parts of Louisiana to take shelter in higher ground as soon as possible.
The hurricane halted nearly 95 percent of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico
Hurricane Ada also had an impact on U.S. energy supplies.
According to CNBC, data from the U.S. Bureau of Security and Environmental Enforcement shows that about 95 percent of oil and gas production near the Gulf of Mexico was temporarily suspended as Hurricane Ada approached major U.S. offshore oil fields.
With hurricane Ada, nearly 95 percent of oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico was halted. /Social media screenshots
Meanwhile, Colonial Pipeline, a major U.S. pipeline operator, suspended fuel shipments between Houston, Texas, and Greensboro, North Carolina, shutting down two pipelines. The company said it was a "preventive and routine security measure" that would fully restore service in a safe situation.
Patrick De Haan, gasbuddy's director of petroleum analysis, said it's not uncommon to shut down pipelines during hurricanes. Hahn believes that Hurricane Ada is unlikely to cause a "significant increase in (oil and gas) prices", but there may be some increase in the next two weeks.
Climate change may increase the intensity of Hurricane Ada
In fact, no state in the United States has suffered a hurricane with a speed of more than 150 miles per hour for several consecutive years since 1851. Meteorologist Steve Bowen said, "Today, Louisiana is about to make this unfortunate history. ”
According to the Washington Post, in the early morning hours of August 27, 2020, Hurricane Laura made landfall in the southwestern Louisiana coastal area, with maximum winds of 154 miles per hour at landfall. It was also the strongest storm to make landfall in the region in 150 years.
On August 29, 2021, local time, Louisiana, USA, Hurricane Ada made landfall and set off a wild storm. Figure/IC photo
A year later, Louisiana suffered another strong storm. The New York Times pointed out that the "driving force" behind strong storms may be climate change.
The researchers found that over the past 40 years, the frequency of rapidly strengthening Atlantic hurricanes has also increased as ocean temperatures have risen. This is largely because warmer waters provide more energy for hurricanes. In the 1980s, the probability of a hurricane rapidly strengthening was about 1 percent, and now its probability has risen to 5 percent.
In addition, experts who study hurricane behavior say seasonal warming in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean also makes mid-August to October the most active period of the year for hurricanes.
Hurricane Ida vs. Katrina 16 years ago
"Hurricane Ada looks like a sequel to 2005 Hurricane Katrina." The Associated Press wrote that.
It's worth noting that "Ida," like Katrina 16 years ago, made landfall on August 29 and attacked Louisiana. However, there are clear differences between the two hurricanes.
The first is the difference in intensity. Brian McNoldy, a hurricane researcher at the University of Miami, said Ida was more intense. Ada made landfall as a Category 4 storm with winds of 150 miles per hour, "just one sneeze away from becoming the fifth Category 5 storm in the United States." Katrina's strength had weakened considerably before it landed, as a Category 3 storm that hit Louisiana.
Hurricane Ada has certain similarities with Katrina, but nuances are the key. /Social media screenshots
Second, the damage caused by the two hurricanes will also be different. McNody pointed out that "Ada" is more of a natural disaster. Katrina caused the to collapse, killing 1,833 people and causing a total of $176 billion in damage. Experts believe that the damage caused by "Ada" will not be close to this figure.
However, the losses caused by "Ada" should not be underestimated. Meteorologist Jeff Masters pointed out that the hurricane will sweep through the industrial belt between Baton Rouge and New Orleans, an infrastructure area vital to the U.S. economy. Bowen said the impact of Hurricane Aida is not limited to coastal areas, and the damage it has caused can be as high as billions of dollars.
While Ida won't produce a huge storm surge like Katrina, it may produce a more concentrated storm surge like Hurricane Camille in 1969.
In general, the larger the impact range of the storm, the weaker the destructive force; the relatively small the impact range of the storm, the greater the destructive force. Bowen said it's unclear which scenario would be worse.
Bad weather makes it difficult to carry out rescue quickly
The damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has left the American people with lingering feelings.
Before the Ada landed, a large number of people left. The BBC noted that about tens of thousands of people fled Louisiana, which also caused highway traffic congestion.
To those who remained, Louisiana Gov. Edwards reassured, "We're not the same state we were 16 years ago." ”
Indeed, the federal levee system has improved significantly since Katrina swept new Orleans. Edwards said, "The levee system will be tested, the people of Louisiana will be tested, we all have the qualities of resilience, and we will get through it together." ”
Edwards noted that 5,000 National Guard soldiers have been deployed to carry out search and rescue using high-water vehicles, boats and helicopters, and another 10,000 line personnel are on standby to deal with power outages.
The governor of Louisiana said search and rescue efforts would be carried out whenever conditions permitted. /Social media screenshots
Despite detailed deployment, emergency relief efforts were not carried out quickly.
CNN pointed out that it is the bad weather brought by "Ada" that complicates the emergency relief work. Edwards said it was impossible to send first responders at the height of the hurricane, which was too dangerous and wind speeds did not allow it.
Edwards explained that a robust search and rescue operation will be launched as soon as possible, with about 21 search and rescue teams ready to launch an emergency search and rescue after the storm subsides. But the storm is far from over and could wreak further damage to Louisiana, with "the full extent of the damage not known until the sun rises."
Beijing News reporter Luan Ruoxi
Edited by Zhang Lei, proofread by Zhai Yongjun