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Flash floods threaten U.S. Southern states deluged by Hurricane Ida

US Materials 6 September 2021 21:57 (UTC +04:00)
Flash floods threaten U.S. Southern states deluged by Hurricane Ida

U.S. Southern states still grappling with widespread power outages and water-logged homes after deadly Hurricane Ida faced new flash flood threats on Monday from slow-moving rain and drenching thunderstorms, Trend reports citing Reuters.

Storms capable of producing two to three inches (5-8 cm) of rain "in a pretty short period of time" were saturating New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana and Mississippi, and were expected to continue into the evening, said National Weather Service meteorologist Lara Pagano.

The states are struggling to recover after more than a week since Ida, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the U.S. Gulf Coast, tore a devastating path of destruction and crippled the New Orleans power grid.

The storm claimed at least 13 lives in Louisiana. More than 500,000 customers in the state remained without power on Monday, according to the PowerOutage.us website, which tracks power outages.

"Some of that (rain) will occur over soil that is saturated by Ida, areas that are already sensitive, with any additional heavy rain problematic and leading to flash flooding," Pagano said.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Monday said it was probing nearly 350 reports of oil spills in and along the Gulf Coast in the wake of Ida.

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