Emily Walsh
Sun, August 29, 2021, 10:29 PM·2 min read
A damaged house after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Chris Graythen/Getty Images
- Storm surge could damage or destroy homes in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, CoreLogic data suggests.
- As a Category 4 hurricane, Ida is expected to cost approximately $220.37 billion in damages.
- Ida will reach the Gulf Coast this Sunday evening on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Hurricane Ida is barreling towards the Gulf Coast and the Category 4 storm could damage or destroy nearly 1 million homes in the region, data suggests. Hurricane Ida threatens approximately 941,392 homes with storm surge damage, according to CoreLogic.
Central Louisiana's coastline is poised to bear the brunt of the damage, but storm surge, wind, and extreme rainfall will pound surrounding states, forecasts indicate. 941,392 homes in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi coastal areas could be exposed to storm surge damage, research firm CoreLogic said in a report released Saturday.
The severity of Hurricane Ida has increased since CoreLogic's report was originally published, and the storm has been upgraded to an "extremely dangerous" Category 4 hurricane by the National Hurricane Center.
CoreLogic estimates that the reconstruction cost value (RCV) of the potentially damaged homes is approximately $220.37 billion. The area with the most projected damage and highest estimated RCV is New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana, with over 394,000 single and multifamily properties estimating damages of over $101.66 billion, the report said.
CoreLogic said it would provide an update on damage predictions later on Sunday.
Ida is a "life-threatening" storm, according to the NHC, and could bring catastrophic winds of up to 150 miles per hour and
storm surges of over nine feet.
"Atmospheric conditions are highly favorable for rapid intensification after Ida emerges from Cuba on Saturday into Sunday," Dr. Daniel Betten, meteorologist and senior leader for Weather Science at CoreLogic, said in the report. "Ida will also be passing over an extremely warm loop current, which is known to contribute to the rapid intensification of hurricanes in the central Gulf of Mexico, most famously seen with Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005."
Hurricane Ida will slam the region on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of
the costliest natural disasters in US history. Katrina was a Category 3 storm that
caused $161 billion in economic losses and
killed 1,833 people. As one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history,
recovery from Hurricane Katrina took years.
Hurricane Ida is the ninth named storm of the Atlantic season
, the fourth hurricane, and the first projected major hurricane expected to reach Category 4, the second strongest possible storm.
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CoreLogic estimates that the reconstruction cost value of the potentially damaged homes is approximately $220.37 billion.
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As COVID cases soar and Hurricane Ida approaches, some hospitals in southern states have less than 24 hours worth of oxygen
Kevin Shalvey
Sun, August 29, 2021, 7:24 PM·2 min read
A satellite image of Hurricane Ida in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday morning. NOAA/Handout via Reuters
Some southern hospitals had less than 24 hours worth of oxygen supply in reserve as COVID-19 rose and Hurricane Ida made its way toward land, reports said.
Premier Inc., a healthcare supply company, told The White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency that supply was low,
Bloomberg Law reported.
A public affairs staffer at Premier said there was "so much more demand for oxygen than there ever has been," Bloomberg reported.
State health officials in Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and South Carolina said some hospitals were at risk of running out of oxygen,
CNN reported.
On Wednesday, The Florida Hospital Association said there were 68 local hospitals with less than 48 hours of oxygen available, according to
WMFE, an NPR station in central Florida.
The National Hurricane Center early Sunday issued an advisory saying the Category 4 hurricane had strengthened and was
about 75 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.
President Joe Biden on Saturday approved an emergency declaration for Mississippi, The White House said in
a statement.
Biden spoke with officials from the Hurricane Center and FEMA on Saturday, The White House said.
"They discussed the precautions that are being taken at the mega shelters the American Red Cross is opening to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including masking, rapid testing, and social distancing," The White House said in
a readout of the call.
The American Red Cross said in
its own statement that it had about 500 volunteers working on support for those in Ida's path. The organization was prepping shelters in states from Texas to Florida, it said.
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Tropical Storm Nora facing, after leaving 1 dead, 7 missing
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Tropical Weather Pacific
This image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) shows severe weather systems, Hurricane Nora, upper left, and Hurricane Ida, upper right, over the North American continent on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. Hurricane Nora is churning northward up Mexico's Pacific Coast toward the narrow Gulf of California, after making a sweep past the Puerto Vallarta area. (NOAA via AP)
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Mon, August 30, 2021, 11:02 AM·2 min read
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Nora is dropping heavy rains along the Gulf of California after weakening from a hurricane that set off floods and landslides on Mexico's Pacific coast, caused havoc in Puerta Vallarta and left at least one dead and seven missing.
Nora weakened from a Category 1 hurricane at midday Sunday after making a brief land passage just inland from the Mazatlan resort area and then moving back over water and entering the narrow gulf. Though it was barely a tropical storm by late Sunday, forecasters warned that its heavy rains still posed a danger for areas along the gulf.
Nora had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) late Sunday and was moving to the north-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph). Its center was about 95 miles (155 kilometers) southeast of Los Mochis.
Communities in the coastal states of Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco experienced heavy rain and rough surf as the storm moved northward battering itself by staying close to shore.
In Jalisco state, officials said a teenager from Spain was killed Saturday night when a hotel partially collapsed in Puerto Vallarta amid severe flooding when Nora passed by the tourist city as a Category 1 hurricane. A woman was also missing there after her car was swept away. Officials said flooding damaged 500 homes and two people were injured in a landslide.
Mexico's navy said it was searching for six fishermen from the state of Guerrero who were reported missing at sea.
Two rivers overflowed in Puerto Vallarta during the storm Saturday night and flooded part of the center of the town. A torrent of water broke up a bridge and took away part of a small four-story boutique hotel where the dead boy was found Sunday after eight hours of searching. The rest of his family escaped before the collapse, authorities said.
Jalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro said the missing woman in Puerto Vallarta was lost when surging waters dragged her from her car and swept her away
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Nora would keep dragging along the mainland shore of the gulf and was expected to weaken into a tropical depression by Monday night. Moisture from the storm could bring heavy rains by midweek to the U.S. Southwest and central Rockies, the center said.
The center said some areas along the west coast of Mexico could see rainfall totals from 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 centimeters) with even more in some spots.
Hurricane Ida is thrashing Louisiana as a Category 4 storm 16 years after Katrina devastated the area. This live cam shows Bourbon Street.
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