Ida Made Landfall In Port Fourchon
Ida was the third storm to hit the Louisiana coast in the past calendar year, after Laura and Delta last fall. The hurricane made landfall as a Category 4 storm near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, with sustained winds clocking at a whopping 150 mph (241 kph), the fifth-strongest hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. Port Fourchon, Louisiana’s southernmost tip a 2-hour drive south from New Orleans, saw wind gusts of up to 172 mph (277 kph). The force of Ida’s winds can be seen in the roof torn to shreds in the lower right and debris strewn across the lots to the north (storm surge also likely gave that debris a shove).
Port Fourchon is a crucial fossil fuel hub for the country. About 90% of the Gulf of Mexico’s deepwater oil and gas supply—or up to 20% of the U.S.’s total—passes through the port. Production in the Gulf largely shut down ahead of the storm, but restarting it could be a challenge given the damage at the port, where various refineries and other infrastructure suffered damage. Oil and gas prices are rising as a result.
