Hurricane Ida did serious damage in New Orleans and throughout Louisiana Sunday, and now will wreak havoc with other states and cities in the south as it moves inland spawning tornadoes and serious thunderstorms.
When the hurricane hit landfall winds were clocked at 150 mph, causing the Mississippi River to rise roughly 7 feet because of stem surge.
Here’s what a hydrologist told CNN happened next.
“During that time, the flow of the river slowed from about 2 feet per second down to about half a foot per second in the other direction. The river is feeling the effects of the storm over a large area. All the way up to Baton Rouge the river has risen 1.5 feet in the past 12 hours as the surge pushes up the river. And the water level will likely rise more in the coming hours here in Baton Rouge.”
As far as what kind of economic damage the hurricane is expected to have, the energy, chemical and shipping industries which have hubs on the Gulf Coast will take a hit.
Experts believe the overall impact on the U.S. economy will be minimal. One economist told Fox News that he expects the GDP to grow at a 6.5% rate in the second half of this year, the same as the first six months. “The key channel for Ida to impact the broader economy is through energy prices. We will have to see how much damage occurred to production in the Gulf and how long that production will stay offline.”
Add comment