Hurricane Ida Strikes Louisiana Coast

Hurricane Ida Strikes the Gulf Coast

On Sunday, August 20, evacuations continued in New Orleans and more than 2,000 FEMA personnel were deployed as the Gulf Coast braced for Hurricane Ida, a category 4 storm — on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the most devastating storm in America’s history. Ida grew in power to reach winds of up to 150 mph, though the storm is not as large as Katrina. Read the summary, watch the video and answer the discussion questions. To read the transcript of the video, click here.

Discuss Hurricane Ida with Students

• Who are some of the people interviewed in this piece?
• What are some of the characteristics of Ida that make it particularly dangerous?
• When did Katrina hit New Orleans?
• Where did Ida first make landfall?
• Why has the governor of Louisiana ordered a mandatory evacuation for some coastal parts of Louisiana, according to this piece?
• How have residents of New Orleans been preparing for the storm?

Focus Question:What might be some ways New Orleans and the surrounding area can adapt if large storms become a more common occurrence in the area?

Media Literacy: NewsHour correspondent Roby Chavez describes members of his own family who are impacted by the storm. Do you think news correspondents should cover stories that impact them personally? Why or why not?

Additional Resources

• To learn more about the earthquake and the immediate aftermath, see this piece.
• To learn about the recent assassination of Haiti’s president, which adds context to the difficult relief response, see this piece.

Republished with permission from PBS NewsHour Extra.