September 2, 2021
By Morgan Kikke
Exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ida took over Louisiana. Most people in the New Orleans area are without power and three are left dead. Many are left to stand in their attics or roofs, flagging down rescuers, and over 300 have been saved just Monday morning. Several schools have closed due to Ida and aren’t sure when they’ll open back up. It is expected to cause more damage in Mississippi and even reach Tennessee and Ohio.
Ida is not as strong as Katrina. To compare, Katrina’s highest wind speed was 175 mph, while Ida’s is currently 150 mph. Katrina destroyed the East Coast and Cuba, and Ida is in Mississippi and Louisiana. But, Ida is expected to travel 1,200 miles, from Louisiana to Massachusetts. 80 million Americans are facing flood risks. 800,000 homes were flooded and 850,000 homes were destroyed in Katrina.
We can help Louisiana by donating to some New Orleans groups. For example, Culture Aid NOLA, Feed the Second Line, House of Tulip, and others are non-profit food and resource centers that have been helping Louisiana in COVID-19 and previous hurricanes. Even though we don’t experience hurricanes here in Chicago, we should try our very best to help out.
