Jacksonville women with loved ones in Louisiana wait and worry as Hurricane Ida looms

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In mentation of Hurricane Ida, a workers connect protective plywood to windows and doors of a concern successful the French Quarter successful New Orleans, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents successful Louisiana are bracing for Hurricane Ida arsenic it’s predicted to scope Category 4 spot earlier making landfall connected Sunday -- 16 years to the time that Hurricane Katrina made landfall successful the state.

Louisiana’s politician said Ida volition beryllium the strongest hurricane to deed anyplace successful Louisiana since the 1850s.

Jacksonville nonmigratory Arlene Blevins has a nephew who lives close extracurricular of New Orleans.

“He was going to stay, and he’s retired looking for a generator due to the fact that they’re each sold retired beauteous overmuch everywhere,” Blevins said.

She said her nephew moved to Louisiana to assistance rebuild structures aft Hurricane Katrina, and he’s not evacuating for Hurricane Ida. Neither are his neighbors.

“He’s boarding up his windows and doors and everything that’s susceptible to the upwind close present and moving objects away, you know, indoors,” Blevins said.

But she’s disquieted that conscionable boarding up won’t beryllium enough.

So is Katie Boden, who utilized to unrecorded successful New Orleans.

She said immoderate of her friends evacuated, but immoderate decided to stay.

“Who knows aft the storm? There mightiness beryllium much that permission due to the fact that they don’t privation to beryllium without power. They said it could beryllium up to 4 weeks,” Boden said.

She said she remembers being without powerfulness aft Hurricane Ivan for a week and a half.

“I’m conscionable truly concerned, particularly for my aged neighbors that decided to stay,” Boden said.

The tempest is expected to marque landfall Sunday day oregon evening, conscionable westbound of New Orleans.

JEA is sending lineworkers to Louisiana to supply communal aid. JEA crews successful much than 30 trucks volition beryllium leaving connected Sunday greeting to pre-position earlier the tempest makes landfall and beryllium acceptable to assistance reconstruct powerfulness erstwhile Hurricane Ida passes.

“Florida has been the recipient of communal assistance aid erstwhile we person been impacted by hurricanes galore times successful the past, and JEA crews are honored to instrumentality the favour to Louisiana residents,” JEA spokesperson Karen McAllister said successful a quality release.