NEW ORLEANS – The eye of the Hurricane Ida made landfall near Grand Isle on Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t long before New Orleans began to see more severe effects from the storm. Damage could be seen in the business district and other areas.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell encouraged her residents to stay inside, shelter in place and hunker down.
Along Lake Pontchartrain weather conditions evolved from a light chop to white caps, with the growing waves slamming into the sea wall.
Water poured over Lakeshore Drive as some braved the elements to witness what mother nature is capable of.
Residents are hopeful that the levy systems will hold out following the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall exactly 16 years ago Sunday.
“It is way better than it was before, so I am not too worried about that,” said resident Emily Armbruster.
Storm surge was spotted in Grand Isle, where Ida’s impacts were first felt after it made landfall.
Downed power lines caused hundreds of thousands of customers to lose power while some homes had their roofs ripped off.
Officials are discouraging people from being out here on the roadways because there is significant damage and it is not safe based on the storm conditions.