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

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

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, 1:58 PM EDT

Louisiana officials urge residents to stay inside: 'There’s nobody coming right now'

Residents who did not evacuate storm-affected regions of Louisiana are being instructed to shelter in place, as conditions are now too perilous for first responders to save them.

"There’s nobody coming right now," said New Orleans Director of Homeland Security Collin Arnold Amayor during a press conference Sunday afternoon. "You need to stay inside."

People have even been instructed to avoid going to hospitals, which are hunkering down amid the life-threatening winds and heavy rain.

"Please do not try to access a health care or hospital facility right now," said Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department. "Our hospitals are hunkering down. They are caring for the patients who are within their walls…We will be there for you when the storm passes."

-ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos and Will McDuffie

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

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