Hurricane Ida Forces Mississippi River To Flow Backward
on Aug 30, 2021 • Updated Jan 15, 2025
This weekend’s deadly hurricane struck the coast of Louisiana with such force that it actually made America’s second-largest river reverse the direction of its flow.
NEW VIDEO: The historic Karnofsky Music Shop in New Orleans has collapsed. It was no match for the winds of Hurricane Ida. Video from @JackRoyer. So so sad. 😪 pic.twitter.com/42BpfaenLc
— Ed Bloodsworth (@WKRGEd) August 30, 2021
Among the rare and odd changes Hurricane Ida made to the local waterways, the storm also decimated homes and buildings throughout New Orleans and caused a massive power outage across the city.
According to NOLA.com Hurricane Ida forced a large transmission tower to collapse into the Mississippi River. Officials say that a fix could take several days to complete.
A massive transmission tower collapsed into the Mississippi River during Hurricane Ida's impacts, knocking out power to all of New Orleans. A fix could take days or longer.
NOPD is deploying "anti-looting" officers due to the outage. Latest: https://t.co/XQcAkNofcp
— NOLA.com (@NOLAnews) August 30, 2021
The crumpled Entergy transmission tower by River Road in Bridge City. Local volunteer firemen said it collapsed iver a two-hour period Sunday night as #HurricaneIda battered the area. /1 @NOLAnews #nola #energytwitter pic.twitter.com/IqBXVtvjuZ
— Anthony McAuley (@AnthonyMcAuley2) August 30, 2021
The storm made landfall with such force that water in levees swelled by more than a foot and even breached the top of some – like the one near the town of Braithwaite as shown by KATV’s Todd Yakoubian below.
New video – Levee overtopped in the town of Braithwaite, the entire community inundated by water. Video courtesy our @LiveStormsMedia partners @bclemms #ARWX #LAWX pic.twitter.com/GrfKiRyz4J
— Todd Yakoubian (@ToddYakoubian) August 30, 2021
The Category 4 storm (at landfall) blasted its way ashore – becoming one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the United States. The impact shredded roofs of buildings and even pushed so much water into the mouth of the Mississippi River that it started to flow backward!
Winds from the storm barreled into the coastline at more than 120 MPH and churned the coastal waters into a swirling, swelling mass that pushed deep into the Mississippi’s path.
Nurse captures roof being blown off at OCHSNER main campus. (credit: Courtesy: Chrissy Gottbrath) #HurricaneIda #nola pic.twitter.com/xSM95o1Yj1
— BunChoum (@BunChoum) August 30, 2021
My "little sis" from sorority in college is a nurse at a hospital in NOLA. She's sleeping in an exam room and wearing a hospital bracelet with her name on it "in case they find our bodies…they know who we are."
Healthcare workers, there are not enough words to thank you.
— Hannah Strong (@WxStrong) August 30, 2021
As of publishing time, only one death had been recorded by officials, yet rescue and recovery efforts remain underway and that total can change. We pray for all the people affected by this terrible disaster.
