Hurricane Ida kills 91, thousands homeless in Central America, State of Emergency in Louisiana

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Will Tropical Storm Ida strike Northwest Florida?

November 05, 2009 2:10 PM

Del Stone Jr. and Katie Tammen
Daily News
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FORT WALTON BEACH ? The question of the hour: Will Ida strike the Florida Panhandle?

The answer for now: Maybe. Maybe not.

It?s a little early to say, meteorologist Jeff Garmon told the Daily News on Thursday.

Garmon, a warning coordination meteorologist with the Mobile, Ala., office of the National Weather Service, said Ida will likely meet an unkind fate once it reaches the Gulf of Mexico.

?It could just basically wash out as a remnant over the eastern gulf, and that seems plausible right now. It?s just something we?re going to have to watch.?

But ... there?s always a chance the unexpected could happen. This is, after all, a hurricane we?re talking about ? at least it was until mid-day

Thursday when Ida moved ashore over Nicaragua and lost some of its punch. As of the noon advisory Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm with 65 mph winds.

?We don?t think it?s likely that it will be a hurricane making landfall in the north central Gulf Coast,? Garmon said. But he cautioned November storms striking the Gulf Coast aren?t out of the realm of possibility.

Garmon could think of two cases ? one a couple of years ago that went over Louisiana and then hit parts of Alabama as a tropical storm, and a 1904 storm that struck Destin.

Then there was Hurricane Kate, which blew ashore near Panama City on Nov. 21, 1985, with 95 mph winds.

Ida may have a hostile reception in this neck of the woods. Garmon said a cold front moving into the area over the weekend will bring cool, dry air over the region, which are not conducive to hurricane formation.

?So it?s very unlikely we?d have a hurricane even if the system comes up here because hurricanes love heat.?

Garmon said the weather service is at the ?monitoring stage? right now and that there?s no real need for concern, although people should check the weather forecasts.

If Ida does come this way it won?t be in the area until the middle of next week.

Hurricane forecast models put the storm inland anywhere from Louisiana to Tampa. Some even curve it back to the Caribbean.

http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/storm-22314-beach-strike.html

 

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Re: Will Tropical Storm Ida strike Northwest Florida?

Re: Will Tropical Storm Ida strike Northwest Florida?

Ida upgraded to tropical storm; could hit Gulf Coast next week

By NEIL JOHNSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 7, 2009
Updated: 10:21 am

<!-- article snippets --><!-- /end article snippets -->Now inhaling some fuel from the warm Caribbean Sea, Tropical Storm Ida is bound for the central Gulf by next week where forecasters expect the storm to make a fishook fairly close to land that would leave it about 170 miles west of Tampa Thursday.

Ida crossed eastern Nicarauga and Honduras faster than expected and skirted the more rugged terrain of both countries. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami believe Ida should thread its way between the Yucatan and western Cuba and into the Gulf.

Ida's winds should peak at about 65 mph by the end of the weekend. After that, the warm water won't be enough to overcome increasing shear with winds blowing in different directions at different heights in the atmosphere. Forecasters say the shear will sap Ida's strength.

The lastest forecasts from the hurricane center keep pushing Ida farther north before hooking but so far keep the storm from land. The forecast models are fairly well agreed on Ida's path through Monday but begin splitting after that, the hurricane center said.

Ida should move to the north and get fairly close to the northern Gulf coast by Tuesday before beginning its hook to the east and south by Wednesday. At that point, the storm should have winds of about 50 mph.

By Thursday, Ida is expected to finish its hook and hover to the east and south as a front transforms Ida from a tropical storm to a sub-tropical storm. By then, its winds should be between 35 mph and 40 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.

After that, Ida will likely be part of the front that forecasters believe should move south or southeast as segment of a larger weather pattern.
Ida's shift from tropical to sub-tropical is normally of interest only to meteorologists, but with Ida possibly fairly close to the Tampa Bay area on Thursday, the difference between the two could have an impact on whether Ida's winds reach the West Central Florida coast.

A sub-tropical storm can pack the same winds as a tropical storm but the highest winds are stretched away from the center of circulation, unlike the bagle shape of a classic tropical storm.

With ida's center forecast to be within 200 miles of Tampa and closer to Pinellas, the strongest winds could be in Tampa's direction away from the center, or be farther in the Gulf. It's highest winds could also stretch to the northern Gulf coast by Tuesday or Wednesday if they are separated from its center.

But with the large forecast error seven days in the future, Ida could be anywhere from Cuba to the Atlantic Ocean to Louisiana by Thursday.

Regardless of Ida's exact location, if the storm hasn't been completely swallowed by the front, there could be some windy weather in store for the region next week and none of it having to do with Ida, the hurricane center said.

A high pressure area over the southeast United States will kick up wind over a good portion of the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said.

Some of the moisture from Ida will probably drift over the region later into next week, kicking up some thunderstorms and rain, the Naitonal Weather Service says.

HAM Weather Image

The forecast track puts Tropical Storm Ida in the Gulf of Mexico in the upcoming week.


http://www2.tbo.com/content/2009/nov/07/071021/ida-upgraded-tropical-storm-could-hit-gulf-coast-n/

 

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Re: Hurricane Ida now Category 2 - La. coast under hurricane watch

Re: Hurricane Ida now Category 2 - La. coast under hurricane watch

Breaking News, East Jefferson Parish, North Shore NOLA, River Parishes, St. Bernard Parish, St. Charles Parish, St. John Parish, St. Tammany Parish, Traffic, Weather, West Jefferson Parish ?
Hurricane Ida now Category 2; La. coast under hurricane watch

By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune

November 08, 2009, 2:00PM

The Associated PressHurricane Ida is predicted to stay at Category 2 strength through Sunday evening. The National Weather Service has placed Grand Isle and coastal Louisiana east of the Mississippi River under a hurricane watch, as Hurricane Ida threatens to approach the mouth of the river by Monday afternoon before turning east and moving onshore near Mobile, Ala., as an extra-tropical low pressure system Tuesday morning.
New Orleans, St. Tammany Parish and communities to the west are under a tropical storm watch.
The National Weather Service also has issued a flood watch for the metropolitan area, expecting heavy rains of 3 to 5 inches that are expected to hit Monday and Monday night.Some areas could see higher rainfall totals. The potential for flooding will be exacerbated by high tides that will swell streams and bayous, the weather service said.
The Bonnet Carre Spillway Road in St. Charles parish closed at 10 a.m. Sunday because of high water.
Gov. Bobby Jindal plans to declare a state of emergency later Sunday to pave the way for assistance to parishes that might be affected by Ida. The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness activated its Crisis Action team on Friday, and Louisiana National Guard and Department of Wildlife and Fisheries personnel have been placed on alert.
The State Police has placed all troopers in southeastern Louisiana on stand-by. State officials urged residents in watch areas to go over their personal emergency plans.
"We are in constant contact with the National Weather Service as well as emergency officials in those areas that oculd be affected in the event they need assistance," said Homeland Security Director Mark Cooper. "Citizens in these areas are directed to monitor their local news and reports from the National Weather Service and local emergency officials for up to date information."
Ida was packing 100-mph winds as it moved into the southern Gulf of Mexico Sunday morning, and forecasters predicted it would stay at Category 2 strength through Sunday evening.
The storm is expected to weaken as it moves over cooler water and approaches a cooler air mass and stronger upper-level wind shear in the northern Gulf of Mexico. But Ida is now expected to be moving quickly enough to remain a hurricane as it approaches the Louisiana coastline, prompting the storm watches.
Tropical storm-force winds, less than 74 mph, are expected in the New Orleans area from Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning, and flooding of 3 to 5 feet can be expected outside hurricane protection levees and in areas around Lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas from Monday through Tuesday morning.
The hurricane watch includes St. Bernard, Plaquemines and lower Jefferson parishes, and residents in those areas should expect to see tropical storm-force winds with gusts of hurricane strength, 75 mph or more, from Monday afternoon to early Tuesday afternoon.
Storm surge in the hurricane watch area could reach 5 to 7 feet outside hurricane levees from Monday through Tuesday morning. Inland flooding also is possible.
On Sunday morning, senior hurricane specialist Jack Beven said several forecasting models indicate Ida will lose its tropical characteristics as it approaches the coast and moves east and onshore, where it will either be absorbed by a non-tropical low pressure system or become one itself.
But that process will take another 48 hours, and hurricane-force winds are still expected until then. The state's Emergency Operations Center will maintain 24-hour staffing of key state agencies with primary support functions based on hurricane plans.
For more information on how to stay safe from all hazards, go to getagameplan.org.

St. Charles Parish government, meanwhile, urged residents to prepare their homes for wind gusts of up to 50 mph in advance of the bad weather the storm is expected to bring. This includes picking up any debris and securing objects in yards and neighborhoods, including outdoor furniture or equipment that could be thrown by high winds. Residents also are asked to keep all drainage basins and ditches clear of debris.

The St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center has been activated, and parish officials are meeting Sunday to discuss any further protective actions. Residents should prepare for the possibility of tornado warnings and power outages in the next few days. Any questions may be directed to the St. Charles Parish Emergency Operations Center at 985.783.5000, 24 hours a day.



<DD id=stormImage> <DD class=fin>MORE ON THIS SYSTEM <DIR>5-Day forecast track graphic
Closeup color radar
Updates: Hurricane Ida | TS Ida | TD 11

</DIR>
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2009/11/grand_isle_louisiana_coast_und.html
</DD>

 

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: Hurricane Ida kill 91, thousands homeless in Central America

Re: Hurricane Ida kill 91, thousands homeless in Central America

Hurricane Ida floods kill 91 in El Salvador

November 9, 2009 -

A late-season hurricane ravaged parts of Central America Sunday as floods and landslides killed at least 91 in El Salvador and thousands were left homeless in Nicaragua.

Hurricane Ida, which grew to a category two Sunday, was now churning towards Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Forecasters at the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said Ida had strengthened packing top wind speeds of 100 miles (160 kilometers) per hour as it moved towards Mexico's Caribbean coast -- a popular spot for tourists.

The tail-end of Ida coupled with a low pressure system in the Pacific caused heavy flooding in El Salvador that left 91 people dead and left some 60 others missing in El Salvador, civil defense officials said.

"We have to mourn the deaths of 91 people because of the rains," Interior Minister Humberto Centeno told reporters here.

Civil Defense chief Jorge Melendez added that "there could be more fatalities" in the eastern regions of Verapaz and Tepetitan, where rescue services have already recorded 20 deaths.

In Tepetitan, landslides and overflowing rivers carried away some 30 houses, authorities said. Some residents had agreed to evacuate the area, but a number "refused to leave their homes," according to mayor Ana Jovel.

In Verapaz, 71 miles (114 km) southeast of the capital San Salvador, officials reported a raging torrent of mud, rocks and tree trunks ripping through a whole section of the town, burying houses and cars.

A dozen bodies of victims were hauled from the devastation to a local chapel and covered with white sheets, caked with mud, as they awaited identification by relatives.

El Salvador has been on a state of alert since Thursday as heavy rains associated with Ida began to affect the region, destroying an estimated 930 homes and leaving some 13,000 people homeless in Nicaragua.

On Saturday, Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega said his government hoped to make available up to 4.4 million US dollars in aid for those affected by the storm.

At 1800 GMT on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said Ida was about 100 miles (155 kilometers) north-northeast of Cozumel, Mexico, moving near 10 miles (17 kilometers) per hour.

The center said the storm, currently a category two on the Saffir-Simpson scale, was expected to strengthen further, before gradually weakening on Monday.

"Ida is expected to begin losing tropical characteristics in Tuesday as it nears the Gulf Coast but it could reach the coast as a tropical cyclone," the NHC said.

A hurricane watch has been issued for parts of the Yucatan Peninsula, as well as for the area east of the Mississippi-Alabama border through the north-west area of Florida.

The NHC stressed the hurricane watch does not cover the city of New Orleans, which was devastated in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.

Forecasters warned Ida could dump between three to five inches of rain in the Yucatan and western Cuba, with up to eight inches in some places, as well as storm surges and "large and destructive waves."

This year, the Pacific's El Nino ocean-warming phenomenon has resulted in an especially calm Atlantic hurricane season -- a welcome respite for Caribbean and southeastern US residents still smarting from a 2008 pounding.

There have only been two other hurricanes in the 2009 Atlantic season, which runs from June 1 to late November 30, but normally peaks in September and October.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...ods-kill-91-in-el-salvador-20091109-i3xw.html

 

[Pathfinder]

Re: Hurricane Ida kills 91, thousands homeless in Central America

Re: Hurricane Ida kills 91, thousands homeless in Central America

Gov. Jindal Declares State Of Emergency For La. Due To Hurricane Ida<!-- P2P_LIVE_EDIT "content_item_headline_preview" END -->
<!-- P2P_LIVE_EDIT "content_item_titleline_preview" START -->ABC26 News<!-- P2P_LIVE_EDIT "content_item_titleline_preview" END -->
<!-- P2P_LIVE_EDIT "content_item_display_time_preview" START -->November 8, 2009<!-- P2P_LIVE_EDIT "content_item_display_time_preview" END -->

<!-- P2P_LIVE_EDIT "content_item_dateline_preview" START -->BATON ROUGE - <!-- P2P_LIVE_EDIT "content_item_dateline_preview" END -->Today, Governor Bobby Jindal issued the following executive proclamation declaring a state of emergency as a result of the forecasted conditions of Hurricane Ida.

STATE OF EMERGENCY - HURRICANE IDA:

WHEREAS, the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., confers upon the Governor of the State of Louisiana emergency powers to deal with emergencies and disasters, including those caused by fire, flood, earthquake or other natural or man-made causes, in order to ensure that preparations of this state will be adequate to deal with such emergencies or disasters and to preserve the lives and property of the people of the State of Louisiana;

WHEREAS, when the Governor determines that a disaster or emergency has occurred, or the threat thereof is imminent, R.S. 29:724(B)(1) empowers him to declare a state of emergency by executive order or proclamation, or both;

WHEREAS, the forecast from the National Weather Service indicates that the coastal parishes of southeast Louisiana will be impacted by the effects of Hurricane Ida on or about November 9, 2009 and subjected to hurricane and/or tropical storm force winds, wave surges, coastal flooding conditions, torrential rains and tornado activity to such a degree that life and property will be placed in jeopardy; and

WHEREAS, a declaration that a state of emergency exists on November 8, 2009, due to the predicted effects of Hurricane Ida along the southeast Louisiana coast, which threatens the safety and security of those citizens, is appropriate given the threatened hurricane or tropical storm conditions;

NOW THEREFORE I, BOBBY JINDAL, Governor of the State of Louisiana, by virtue of the authority vested by the Constitution and laws of the State of Louisiana, do hereby order and direct as follows:

SECTION 1: Pursuant to the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., a state of emergency is declared to exist in the State of Louisiana as a result of forecasted hurricane and/or tropical storm force winds, wave surges, coastal flooding conditions, torrential rains and tornado activity which has created emergency conditions that threaten the lives and property of the citizens of the State;

SECTION 2: The Director of the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is hereby authorized to undertake any activity authorized by law which he deems necessary and appropriate in response to this declaration; and

SECTION 3: The state of emergency extends from November 8, 2009 through December 7, 2009, unless terminated sooner.


http://www.abc26.com/news/local/wgno-news-state-of-emergency-story,0,4781227.story