Almost 800 rescued in St. John the Baptist Parish after Hurricane Ida
At least three people have died as a result of the storm.
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:
Hurricane-force winds hit southern Louisiana
Major Hurricane Ida is a high-end Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph and hurricane-force winds are hitting the coast of southern Louisiana now.
Hurricane Ida has winds of 150 mph and is about 50 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm is moving northwest at 15 mph. The current pressure is 933 mb.
At 8 p.m. Saturday night, Hurricane Ida was a Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph winds. The pressure was 969 mb. Ida has dropped 36 mb in 12 hours.
ABC News' Daniel Manzo
Tornadoes possible as Ida makes landfall
A new tornado watch has been issued from New Orleans to Pensacola, Florida. A few tornadoes will be possible as Ida comes ashore.
This tornado watch will go until 7 p.m. CDT.
ABC News' Daniel Manzo
Winds now at 150 mph
Hurricane Ida has strengthened once again with winds now 150 mph. Wind gusts of 93 mph are being reported in southeast Louisiana.
Ida is now 60 Miles south-sothwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River. Ida is moving northwest at 15 MPH.
Hurricane Ida winds now at 145 mph, storm still intensifying
Hurricane Ida has strengthened with winds now at 145 mph and is a Category 4 major hurricane. Wind gusts of 74 mph are being reported on the extreme southern edge of Louisiana.
Ida is now 65 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River and 80 miles south-southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana. The storm is moving northwest at 15 mph.
Hurricane Ida now is expected to bring up to 16 feet of storm surge to the southern Louisiana Coast
ABC News' Daniel Manzo
Almost 800 rescued in St. John the Baptist Parish
Officials with St. John the Baptist Parish held a press conference Monday night, saying “almost 800 people” have been rescued after extreme flooding due to Hurricane Ida.
“This is one of the worst natural disasters I've ever seen in St. John,” Parish President Jaclyn Hotard said.
Remarkably, Hotard said there have been no reported fatalities in the parish from the storm.
“All of the missions were successful,” Hotard said. “Every call that came in for someone to be rescued out of their home, they have been rescued out of their home.”
The hard-hit town of Laplace is in St John the Baptist Parish.
-ABC News' Matt Foster