Hurricane Zeta made landfall on Wednesday afternoon near New Orleans, in the US state of Louisiana, with winds of up to 175 km / h, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Zeta, the 11th named storm to hit the United States this year, made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane on a 5-scale scale about 100 kilometers south of New Orleans.
The effects of seven storms or hurricanes were felt, to varying degrees, in Louisiana, which was particularly affected this season.
A hurricane alert has been issued and stretches over 300 kilometers from Morgan City, Louisiana, to the Mississippi-Alabama border. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued in some coastal areas.
In addition to the expected winds and heavy rains, the NHC has also warned of the dangers posed by the rising sea levels: a coastal submersion alert is in place for a whole part of the coastline, with a swell expected at more than 3 meters.
The inhabitants of New Orleans, lapped in the exercise, completed the preparations Wednesday before the arrival of Zeta: provisions stored, in anticipation of water or electricity cuts, and houses protected by sandbags or plywood.
“For the people who live here, it’s just part of living here,” Geoff Wallace, 60, told AFP. “The good thing about this one is that it moves fast.”
Zeta is moving at a speed of 40 km / h, which reduces the risk of flooding in New Orleans. The latter is still traumatized by the passage of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which had time to flood 80% of the city and cause around 1,500 deaths in Louisiana.
“It seems pretty clear now that Zeta will hit New Orleans directly. Finish getting ready this morning, ”city mayor LaToya Cantrell tweeted in the morning. “Make sure you have water, food, and medicine for everyone in your household.”
President Donald Trump on Tuesday evening approved the declaration of a state of emergency for Louisiana, allowing federal resources to be released, the White House announced.
Hurricane Zeta, which had formed over the Caribbean Sea, made landfall Monday evening in the vicinity of Ciudad Chemuyil, in the state of Quintano Roo in Mexico. Its passage did not make any victims there, according to its governor. It was then downgraded to a tropical storm before regaining power and hitting the United States.
The hurricane season, which is not yet over, is particularly intense this year. Due to the exhaustion of the list of expected Latin names, meteorologists began to identify them with the Greek alphabet.
As the surface of the oceans warms, hurricanes become more powerful, according to scientists, who predict an increase in the proportion of category 4 and 5 cyclones, the most destructive.