Almost 800 rescued in St. John the Baptist Parish after Hurricane Ida

At least three people have died as a result of the storm.

ByJulia Jacobo, Emily Shapiro, Ivan Pereira, Morgan Winsor, and Bill Hutchinson
Last Updated: August 31, 2021, 8:36 AM EDT

Ida is barreling through Louisiana after making landfall in the state as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Sunday afternoon.

It was one of the strongest hurricanes on record -- by both wind speed and pressure -- to roar ashore in Louisiana.

Ida, now a tropical storm, is hitting on the 16-year anniversary of Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane that ravaged the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina unleashed a series of events, taking the lives of more than 1,800 people and leaving more than $100 billion worth of damage in its wake.

Latest headlines:

Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern.
Aug 29, 2021, 1:30 PM EDT

Ida marks 2 years in a row of record-breaking hurricanes in Louisiana

There have now been two years in a row of record-breaking hurricanes making landfall in Louisiana.

Hurricane Laura in 2020 and Hurricane Ida today were both packed with 150 mph winds.

Water starts to rise over the Bayou Terrebonne in Montegut, Louisiana, Aug. 29, 2021, before Hurricane Ida's expected landfall.
Mark Felix/AFP /AFP via Getty Images

The previous hurricane to contain winds at such speeds in Louisiana was the Last Island Hurricane in 1856.

When it comes to pressure, Ida is the second-strongest storm on record to hit Louisiana, beating out only Hurricane Katrina.

-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin

Aug 29, 2021, 1:05 PM EDT

Ida makes landfall in Louisiana

Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, just before 1 p.m. as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane with maximum winds of 150 mph.

This is of the strongest hurricanes on record to hit the state of Louisiana. Hurricane Laura made landfall on Aug. 27, 2020, as a category 4 with 150 mph winds as well.

A person walks through the French Quarter ahead of Hurricane Ida, Aug. 29, 2021, in New Orleans.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Sixteen years ago today, Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana.

-ABC News’ Dan Peck

Aug 29, 2021, 12:20 PM EDT

Aug 29, 2021, 12:11 PM EDT

Eyewall beginning to hit land

Hurricane conditions are beginning to strengthen as Ida’s eyewall edges closer to Louisiana’s shore.

The system is still a Category 4 storm with 150 mph winds. As of 12 p.m., it was 25 miles south-southwest of Grand Isle, Louisiana, and about 60 miles southeast of Houma, Louisiana.
Ida is moving northwest at 13 mph.

A man pulls a cart down a mostly deserted Bourbon Street in the French Quarter as the early effects of Hurricane Ida are felt, Aug. 29, 2021, in New Orleans.
Eric Gay/AP

Shell Beach, Louisiana, is reporting 6 feet of storm surge, while parts of southern Mississippi are reporting storm surge of 5.4 feet.

Wind gusts well over 100 mph are being reported in south Louisiana, with gusts up to 60 mph at New Orleans Lakefront Airport.

-ABC News’ Dan Manzo

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