Hurricane Ida Strength Causes Mississippi River to Flow in the Opposite Direction
When Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, early Sunday afternoon, it roared in as a Category 4 hurricane with all the destructive power of Mother Nature behind it. The extremely dangerous winds, which got up to 150 mph, knocked out all the power in New Orleans and left a trail of destruction in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi. The winds were so strong they even managed to reverse the flow of the mighty Mississippi River.
Changing the direction of a river is a natural phenomenon that is rarely seen, deemed "extremely uncommon" by U.S. Geological Survey supervising hydrologist Scott Perrien who spoke to CNN. Perrien remembered that it happened briefly during Hurricane Katrina and now, 16 years to the day since the devastating Hurricane Katrina made landfall, it happened again during Hurricane Ida. It also reportedly happened in 2012 during Hurricane Isaac.
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71-year-old Man Presumed Dead Following Apparent Gator Attack In Flood Waters
A Louisiana fire department is investigating a report of a man who disappeared after being attacked by an alligator in floodwaters caused by Hurricane Ida. St. Tammany Fire Protection said a woman in Slidell saw the gator attack her husband, but after she rushed inside to seek help, the man vanished. Officials said they could not locate the body to determine the cause of death, but they believe the alligator was in the area due to rising waters caused by the storm.
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Corn Crashes as Hurricane Ida Devastates Busiest U.S. Export Hub
Corn prices in Chicago sank to a seven-week low as broken grain elevators and power outages in the U.S.’s busiest agricultural port raised concerns about grain supplies with nowhere to go.
Hurricane Ida left more than 1 million homes and businesses without electricity in southern Louisiana and also shuttered export terminals in New Orleans. Food supply chains were already under severe pressure amid the pandemic, with shortages of everything from packaging to truck drivers.
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License Required To Work On Standing Trees
As cleanup from Hurricane Ida begins, Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry (LDAF) Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M., is reminding residents to hire only professional-licensed arborists to perform work on storm-damaged trees.
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Soybeans Firm As Hurricane Ida Damage Raises Supply Concerns
Chicago soybean futures edged higher in hesitant trade on Tuesday after reports that Hurricane Ida damaged U.S. grain export facilities, stoking supply concerns in the world's largest exporter.
Corn fell slightly, still pressured by better than expected U.S. crop conditions that sent prices to a one-week low in the previous session, while wheat was slightly lower.
"Hurricane Ida has done considerable damage in the area around New Orleans and Baton Rouge," said Tobin Gorey, director of agricultural strategy at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. "What specific damage has been to U.S. crop export facilities is unclear for now. As is the period of shipping delays."
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The Cajun Navy Responds to Hurricane Ida
“I’m sitting here looking out at a lot of the damage, and it’s what you would expect from a Category 4 hurricane: It’s bad,” says Colleen Udell, the president of Cajun Navy Relief. The organization, composed of civilian volunteers who use their personal boats and equipment for rescue during disasters, is one of several groups that have taken on the name “Cajun Navy” since Hurricane Katrina. Now, sixteen years later, they are on the ground (and on the water) responding to those affected by Hurricane Ida.
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Hurricane Ida Hits Export Elevator Corridor
Packing 150 mph winds and punishing rains, Hurricane Ida made landfall Sunday, the 16th anniversary of the deadly Hurricane Katrina, leaving all of New Orleans without power.
After crossing the warmest, deepest portion of the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Ida hit the continental United States at Port Fourchon, La., south of New Orleans, at mid-day Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane, the second-highest designation. The storm then moved north into southwestern Mississippi. By Monday morning, Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm as it continued a northward path with winds of about 45 miles per hour.
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Find Resources to Help You Recover from Hurricane Ida
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) will start allowing individuals and businesses to file claims as soon as the President has declared a federal emergency for areas impacted by Hurricane Ida.
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Ida's Diesel Price Impacts
Mike Strain, Louisiana's commissioner of agriculture, told DTN agriculture in his state is "working the problem," in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, but he spent most of Monday working without communications until those came online in the mid-afternoon.
"We probably have a million people without power in southeast Louisiana right now," Strain said. "There's a lot of destruction to the transmission lines."
Farmers far outside the direct path of Hurricane Ida could face higher diesel prices as they move into harvest, as well as early shipping challenges, depending on the extent of time oil production and Gulf Coast ports are down.
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Grains-Soy, Corn Futures Drop as U.S. Harvest Nears After Weekend Rains
Chicago Board of Trade grain and soybean futures fell on Monday after favorable weekend rains in the U.S. Farm Belt and on expectations that approaching autumn harvests will boost supplies.
Rains across Iowa and Minnesota benefited crops, brokers said, after dryness threatened fields in parts of the Midwest earlier this summer.
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Hurricane Ida Cuts Power to All of New Orleans: Updates
Hurricane Ida crashed into the Louisiana coast as an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm on Sunday, the 16th anniversary of Katrina, cutting power for millions and temporarily reversing the flow of the Mississippi River. So far, Ida has caused “catastrophic” wind damage, as well as a life-threatening storm surge, flooding, and heavy rainfall, according to the National Hurricane Center. The full order of damage became apparent on Monday when dawn broke over a blacked-out region. Meanwhile, the Biden administration has declared a presidential major disaster declaration to free up resources for rescue and recovery. Below are updates about Ida’s path and impact.
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Hurricane Ida Damages Louisiana Grain Terminal, Disrupts Exports
Hurricane Ida damaged a Louisiana grain export elevator owned by global grain trader Cargill Inc and disrupted export operations at the busiest bulk grain export facilities in the United States on Monday.
Cargill said its Reserve, Louisiana, terminal, one of two the company operates along the Mississippi River near the Gulf of Mexico, "sustained significant damage" from the storm, which roared ashore as a powerful Category 4 hurricane.
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New Orleans Sugar Refineries Down From Ida
KANSAS CITY — Two major sugar refineries in the New Orleans area were not operating as of Aug. 30 in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall near the city around midday Aug. 29 as a category 4 storm. The storm was said to be worse in some aspects than Hurricane Katrina 16 years ago.
The ASR Group (Domino) refinery at Chalmette, La., was taken down Friday afternoon, and the Louisiana Sugar Refining, LLC, (LSR) plant at Gramercy, La., was taken down Saturday evening, both as a precaution ahead of the fast-moving storm. As of Monday morning, storm teams still were assessing the situation at both refineries, according to company sources. Indications were both factories were without power. Both refineries are major producers of refined cane sugar sourcing most of their raw sugar supply from Louisiana and Texas, with the ASR plant also utilizing some imported raw sugar. Combined, they produce more than 15% of the total US sugar supply (including carryover, domestic beet and cane sugar and imports).
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Louisiana Farm Bureau Disaster Response Available to Meet the Needs of Louisiana's Farmers and Ranchers
The Louisiana Farm Bureau Disaster Response Committee has created a Facebook Group to connect you with other farmers and ranchers across the state to either offer help where you can or request help if you're in need during a natural disaster like Hurricane Ida.
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Hurricane Ida Potential Crop Damage
The cotton crop is in really good shape this year across the Delta and Southeast, with its highest rating in five years.
However, Hurricane Ida is threatening to become a major hurricane that could threaten flood and wind damage in that area by Sunday afternoon into Tuesday.
(To see daily updates from DTN meteorologists and follow the track on Ida, go to www.dtn.com/hurricane-ida)
First, a look at the current crop situation in the area that could potentially be hit.
According to the USDA NASS data, the good-to-excellent rating of 71% for the cotton crop is the highest rating in the past five years. All states in the Delta and Southeast have at least a 70% rating except for Tennessee, which is at 67%.
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