The river also changed direction when Hurricane Katrina struck the region in 2005, said a Geological Survey hydrologist who works in the region.
Hurricane “extremely dangerous” Ida, which made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday generating maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, reversed the flow of water in the Mississippi River, Scott Perrien, a USGS hydrologist who works in the region , told CNN. .
He said that the river also changed direction due to the impact of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, but even so it is an “extremely rare” phenomenon .
The specialist said that a USGS indicator, installed downstream, showed that the river level rose more than 7 meters due to the cyclone. Then the river’s flow, at about 0.6 meters per second, reversed and moved at a speed of 0.1 meters per second. However, Perrien noted that it is possible that the deeper water bodies did not change their direction.
Meanwhile, the most recent report from the National Hurricane Center indicates that Ida continues its passage in southeastern Louisiana and ” catastrophic storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding continue in parts” of the region.
The strong cyclone caused a massive power outage throughout the city of New Orleans, said emergency preparedness group NOLA. At the same time, local media report that more than 700,000 people suffered the same fate.
@EntergyNOLA has confirmed that New Orleans has no power. The only power in the city is coming from generators. #Ida pic.twitter.com/9clSeFcz3T
— NOLA Ready (@nolaready) August 30, 2021