Hurricane Ida Strengthens: Approaching the Louisiana and Gulf Coasts

Hurricane Ida, which has strengthened today and can potentially cause great damage, is approaching the coasts of the US state of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico.

The hurricane has sustained winds of 115 to 185 kilometers per hour, making it a Category 3 on the five-category Saffir-Simpson scale.

Ida is currently located 170 kilometers southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River and 295 kilometers from the city of Houma, Louisiana.

The hurricane is moving northwest at a speed of 24 kilometers per hour.

Meteorologists said that before making landfall, Ida could strengthen into a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of about 200 kilometers per hour.

In 2005, Louisiana was hit by Hurricane Katrina and 1.800 people died, while about a million were left homeless.