Were so grateful to have you with us on this sunday. It is august 29. Thank you for keeping us company here. Hi, phil. Hey, christi. Alrighty. So lets talk about Hurricane Hunters right now. They are doing hourly updates at this point as Hurricane Ida zeros in on communities on the Gulf Coast. Ida is already a powerful category 4 storm and its still gaining strength. Now, it will make Landfall Today bringing as much as 20 inches of rain to some areas with the potential for destructive Storm Surge and strong winds. Now, Yesterday Bumper Tobumpe traffic stretched for miles as people left their homes for safety. Now, a Strike Today would fall exactly 16 years after hurrican katrina ripped through the arena. Its a coincidence not lost on many who decided to leave their homes. Katrina, hey, i had to stand in the water and slept on a bridge for two days. Fema trucks and generators are in the area as well. Take a look there. The National Guard has also been deployed. Earlier this morning we spoke to local leaders who say people who stayed behind may have a long wait if they need help. We will have Search And Rescue immediately, but its one road in, and that road often gets flooded over and is impassable. So its a very difficult Search And Rescue mission for us. Cnn Meteorologist Allison Chinchar with us now. And this is important because weve gotten to that stage of this storm where were getting updates every hour as opposed to every three hours. I know you got one at the top of 7 00. What are you hearing . I wish that things are getting better. Its doing the opposite. The storm has strengthened again. Last time we spoke sustained winds up to 145. Now up to 150. Seven miles per hour stronger and this will be a Category 5. We are seven miles per hour off from being a Category 5 storm right now. We are on the high end of category 4. Forward movement to the northwest at about 15 miles per hour. Rapid intensification, by definition, is 35 miles per Hour Increase in less than 24 hours. This particular storm did 45 miles per hour in just 8 hours. And its done it in the most recent eight hours. I cannot emphasize enough its strengthened, done it quickly and very recently. The Hurricane Hunters are out investigating The Storm. They will do another full sweep to keep an eye on it and keep giving us updates every hour. At least until their mission is done. We are starting to notice more of these Outer Bands really starting to push inland. The rain is going to get heavier. The bands are going to get stronger and they are going to get more frequent over the next several hours. True landfall of this storm is expected around 1 00 p. M. Eastern time or noon central time, which is local time just to the west of New Orleans. But i say just to the west because really not that far to the west. Here is some of those Outer Bands. Again slidell, New Orleans, you can see these starting to slide in. These are not peak. These are just where they are at now as The Storm is approaching. You have several numbers here in the two to three feet range. However, those numbers are going to keep going up. These are the peak numbers of where we expect them to be throughout the morning and early afternoon. The pink area here including Grand Isle 12 to 16 feet. If you went to bed last night, these numbers have changed as you are waking up. Most of these numbers have gone up one, maybe two feet from where they were yesterday evening. Not dramatic changes, but not in the direction we were hoping they would go. Eight to 12 feet for the purple areas here and four to seven for biloxi. Winds will be a big factor with this. Thats why we talk about Power Outages. In fact, we got word that the national Weather Service in New Orleans may have taken a Power Hit and are using generators as backup. Again these are the things that are expected to happen. More and more people are going to experience Power Outages as we go through the rest of the day. We are also talking tornados. Waterspouts and damaging winds from some of the Outer Bands. A Tornado Watch is likely to come out at some Point Today for areas of louisiana and perhaps even mississippi. Here is a look at the Outer Bands as they continue to push in throughout the day today. You are going to see that rainfall start to spread inland. Again even though weve got some of those Outer Bands and, obviously, the Heavy Rain will be closest to the coast, those Rain Bands are going to affect a lot of areas even farther inland. Sorry. Just got word. We have a Tornado Watch for areas of Louisiana And Mississippi that just got issued here is a look at the flash Flood Threat. Obviously, again, phil and christi, this is going to be the biggest Target Point along the coast, but we mentioned nashville, even lexington, kentucky, they are going to get several inches of rain out of this storm as well. Allison, we have been doing this for a couple hours now. Every single time we check in with you, The Storm is getting stronger, the warnings are getting more dire. The Storm Surge seems to be going up. Please keep us posted. There is no question about what is coming. Derek Van Dam is live in human a, louisiana. We heard from allison. We know we are hours from landfall. When we talked last hour, you were definitely feeling the impact of idas Outer Bounds . Reporter yeah, listening to allison give those realtime updates really chilling, sending chills down my spine because we know that we are in the direct path of this monster hurricane. In fact, phil, i used to tell my kids that monsters dont exist, but now we are staring one down. Just 100 miles from where i stand in the gulf of mexico, a terrifying sight for people waking up this morning, especially if you decided to ride out The Storm. Now is the time to shelter in place and look after each other because the weather will deteriorate quickly. We all know that. Anywhere water touches, whether its from the sky or from the ocean below, will be impacted by this particular storm. A very sobering statement from the governor of louisiana stating that this could potentially be the most powerful hurricane to strike louisiana since the 1850s. That is incredible. Some benchmark storms here, of course, katrina and what happened in 2020. I want to show you what they are doing to protect the parishes of southern louisiana. They are closing the floodgates. Take Ac Loo at this video. A lot of manual labor goes behind that. But these are important because they are there to help protect cities from the surge of water there is a high likelihood of extreme Flash Flooding across this region, and we know that its not only the coastal communities. The storm does not stop at the coast. It moves inland, and this Rain Threat and Flood Threat is real. We talked about the Tornado Watch issued moments ago that. Is common with land falling tropical systems of this nature as well. The entire louisiana National Guard on standby ready to be deployed in a moments notice once it is safe to do so and mandatory evacuations and curfew in place why ere im located. It is going to be a long and grueling 36 hours for my crew and i. We have safety. But we will tell you the stories as the story unfolds in the hours to come. Safety first. Derek Van Dam, you and the crew take good care. Lets go to New Orleans. Cnns Nadya Romero is there. Wishing the very best to you and the crew there as well. We are now five miles or seven miles per hour away from a Category 5. What are you seeing . Reporter yeah, it is happening so quickly, and thats what got a lot of people in trouble here. So were on Bourbon Street, right, in New Orleans. This is where people come from All Over The World to finally see this area in the French Quarter. You would see this street filled with people, even if it was raining. But we know there is hurricane on the way. Take a look. There are preparations that have been happening throughout the weekend. Sandbags are in front of many of these businesses. They were boarding up all day yesterday. But you heard allison talk about Rapid Intensification, and that has been such a challenge here on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter because people plan to be here for the weekend, right . They took time off work. They spent a lot of money. They wanted to come out and have fun. There is always this will it or wont it when we talk about hurricanes. Will it actually accumulate to something major, will to make landfall . A lot of people decided to risk it. Come out, be in New Orleans, enjoy their vacation knowing that hurricane was a possibility. Now for many of them its too late to leave. Too late to evacuate. We heard from Governor John Bel Edwards who said last night, wherever you lay your Head Tonight is where you should plan to ride out The Storm. Listen to what one couple said. They are celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary. They flew in from Oklahoma City and now they will be here for The Storm. As soon as we landed we got the hurricane warning. And so we decided to stick it out. We are staying at a nice hotel. You know, we are used to tornados. First time for a hurricane. First time for everything. Reporter so there you have it. They have to stick out, ride out The Storm. We spoke to another large group of friends and Family Members who came from new jersey. They told us that they had to ride out Superstorm Sandy A Couple years ago, they were without power for two weeks. They tried to catch a flight yesterday morning, but everything was booked up. They thought they had more time. So a lot of people coming out to Bourbon Street, gambled, and they lost. They will be here riding out The Storm in their hotel or they may be eventually evacuated to a shelter. Christi, phil. Things just moving so fast right now. Nadia romero, thank you so much. 16 years ago Today Katrina left devastation, destruction all in its wake. Local officials insist the region is far more prepared this time around for what Louisianas Governor warns could be the strongest storm to hit the state in more than 150 years. Im joined by lieutenantgeneral russel honore, the commander of joint Task Force Katrina leading the military Relief Effort after that storm. General, thank you so much for your time. I want to start with what were seeing right now given how this has escalated, nearing on the verge of a Category 5 hurricane. What is your advice to people who decided to stay, who have decided to not evacuate at this moment . Well, first of all, i would say,vi say, advise them be aware of the Surge Water if you are along the coast, and even folks inland, pay close attention to the local Weather Warnings for tornados. Because at The End of the day, the tornados cause most of the Wind Damage that occurs during these types of hurricanes. So beware and Stay Alert and protect yourself in your home to a safe place with the Tornado Warning, Tornado Watch, Tornado Warnings, and you only get five to seven minutes in many cases. So keep that local radio and watch the warnings because they will cause a lot of damage. And be aware of the tidal surge. Be aware to move to a higher place and check on your neighbors. At this point in time, hunker down and keep your communications up as best you can if you are going to need help after The Storm passes. One of the questions that we pose over the course of the last couple of days is with local officials, clearly it is different than 16 years ago. There have been tens of billions of dollars invested trying to strengthen levee, reinforce the levees during katrina. You said yesterday you think we might see some levees over top. How confident are you that there wont be major breaches here . Its all up to The Storm. We are talking about a potential of a Category 5 effects, which means at a Category 5 you are going to get end up with more tidal surge from the wind and it will push more water in. The system was structured around a category 3. So we may see some overtipping of levees and the gates well engineered. The Corps Of Engineers have done a superb job with that. Anything built by man can be destroyed by mother nature. So everybody needs to keep their heads up, Stay Alert, follow the news because there will be some there will be flooding. Its a function of not much and where. There will be flooding in south louisiana. You make the point, there is no predicting exactly whats coming, but there is preparation. You were praised for your Teams Response to Hurricane Katrina when most people saw the federal and state response lackluster. Based on what you have seen thus far, how would you rate the preparedness on the local, state, and federal level for whats coming aground here . I tell you what. This team is well oiled. Our governor and our National Guard have refined techniques and procedures, working with fema, region 6, and Fema Headquarters in washington. I think they have done a superb job, what we call leaning forward. They have prepositioned stocks in Baton Rouge, prepositioned ambulance companies. They are working with the governor to determine what other assets may be needed, requested helicopters. I can tell you from looking at the number of helicopters, they may need a lot more. We ended up with over 200 helicopters after katrina in Search And Rescue. And but more will compas required. There is a quick line of communication between fema and the governors office, and what they ask for, they will get. Everybody is very responsive. Big comply point in alexandria that fema is putting in with generators and ambulances and tarps in Baton Rouge. Things are moving in the right direction. Right now the unknown is where the most damage will happen and what is going to be the impact if the levees hold will determine the number of folks that need rescue. The hotels in New Orleans are in a lot better shape than they used to be. Most have generators now. The restaurants have generators. So we are a lot more resilient ent than we were going into katrina. Communications is so much better. When we went in katrina, people were familiar with texting. But facebook, twitter as much as folks joke about them as a distraction, they provide a lot of information to people. People could crosstalk and stay aware of whats going on. But power is going to be a big problem. There will be people predicted by the most experts that may be you out of power for a couple of weeks. So thats going to be painful. But well recover from it. Our Parish Leadership is more well trained and the federal government put a lot of money in helping them establish emergency operation center. Most of our Government Officials have gone to schools provided by fema on how to prepare and respond to disasters. So we are a lot more resilient, but we never faced a Category 5 in recent years with the amount of Population Weve got inside the cone of uncertainty. And we have between Baton Rouge and New Orleans over 150 chemical plants and that storm is going right over them. This is an unknown. We havent had this happen before with that many plants inside the cone of a category 4, 5 at landfall. By the time it gets to that space, it could still be a category 2 coming into Baton Rouge. Yeah. There is still a lot of uncertainty. One thing that is not uncertain is the scale of The Storm. Lieutenantgeneral russel honore, you know better than anybody about whats coming next. We appreciate your time, sir. We appreciate it. Be safe. Take care of your neighbors and volunteer. Help the red cross, cajun navy, Help Somebody doing the front line work, please. Absolutely. Thank you so much, sir. A reminder there. Okay. Up next, a warning from the White House. Another Terror Attack In Kabul is highly likely. Also, they signed up to serve, they paid the ultimate price. We will tell you more about the heroic u. S. Service members killed in the airport bombing. Over the years, mercedesbenz has patented thousands of safety innovations. Crashtested so many cars weve stopped counting. 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The national Weather Service has said ida could leave spartz of Southeast Louisiana uninhabitable for weeks or months. As we see The Storm strengthen yet again for the third hour in a row as of 7 00 we are just seven miles per hour under a Category 5 characterization. So still cat 4, but thats low close we are to a cat 5. So President Biden is doubling down on his promise to hunt down anyone involved in the Terrorist Attack In Kabul and, quote, make them pay. Yeah, and President Biden vows to strike targeting isisk will not be the last strike. The pentagon says two highprofile targets were killed and another was injured in that Drone Strike. The president also says another attack In Kabul is, quote, highly likely in the next 24 to 36 hours. Now, the latest Terror Threat comes as the u. S. Is racing in the final moments to evacuate americans from afghanistan ahead of tuesdays August 31st deadline. Nash Tasha Bertrand with us now. We know the president was explicit about the Terror Threat at the Kabul Airport. What is the White House doing at this hour in response to that threat . Reporter well, the White House is warning that the u. S. Reserves the right to retaliate against anyone who might be planning future attacks against that airport. The president , of course, releasing a Statement Yesterday that he has instructed his commanders essentially to hunt these terrorists down and make them pay. Now, he is also instructed his commanders to take every possible measure to ensure Force Protection in the next 24 to 48 hours as the u. S. Continues to draw down its forces In Kabul ahead of that August 31st deadline. The pentagon did carry out a Drone Strike on friday just less than 48 hours after that on saturday, less than 48 hours after that Terrorist Attack killed scores of afghans and 13 u. S. Service members and did Kill Two Isis members that the pentagon said were valuable targets. But Pentagon Press secretary John Kirby said yesterday that the u. S. Is not going to get complacent here, all those they were high level planners who had the possibility of planning further attacks against u. S. Forces, the threat continues and is very real. Take a listen. Make no mistake. Nobodys writing this off and saying, well, we got them, so we dont have to worry about isisk anymore. Not the case. As i said earlier, the Threat Stream is still active, still dynamic. We are still laser focused on that and Force Protection and we arent thinking for a minute that what happened yesterday gets news the clear. Not a minute. But do we believe that we hit valid targets . Bad guys would can do bad things and plan bad missions . Absolutely. Reporter so the u. S. Has not released the names of those isis fighters killed in that Drone Strike. And thats because u. S. Officials tell us that that is because they want to reserve the right essentially to, you know, Plan Future Attacks against future isis commanders and dont want to give away the game here. So while the u. S. Now is entering the most dangerous phase according to what officials tell us ahead of that drawdown with forces limited outside that airport and as they continue to try to evacuate thousands of afghans who want to leave the country, they are preparing potentially for the worst. They are preparing for a potential attack against forces stationed outside the airport. They are taking all possible measures to protect u. S. Troops there because, again, we only have a couple of days left before that August 31 deadline. But the threat is very real and that is part of the reason why they are issuing these very stark warnings to isis leaders about definite retaliation if they take any future attacks against the forces stationed outside that airport. NaTasha Bertrand, appreciate the update so much. Thank you. Well, clock is ticking. The u. S. Is racing to wrap up evacuations from afghanistan by that tuesday deadline. The threat of another Terrorist Attack, well, its clearly adding to the already complicated Drawdown Efforts as american troops preparing to leave the country. Afghan citizens are arriving in the u. S. Dulles airport one of the locations they are processing Afghanistan Refugees now. Nick Paton Walsh is in doha. So, nick, when we hear this news as well that the u. S. Is warning americans there in afghanistan to evacuate the Kabul Airport because of a Terror Threat, there are 48 hours left for people at this point to get out of afghanistan. How does that alone complicate this effort . Reporter well, i think it reflects the reality really here that it is exceptionally difficult and has been for a number much days for people to get on the airport, particularly if left to their own devices. We have heard of people being escorted through, appeared to have reduced yesterday. 1,400 people were on the Airport Hearing from the pentagOn And they said 1,400 have been evacuate bid the united states in the last 12 hours. That is essentially the Evacuation Tapering off here. The mission quite clearly has changed from the mass evacuations we have seen over the past week with Tens Of Thousands of every day taken out to what is, obviously, what they are calling the retrograde, military speak for withdrawal. I suspect we dont get detailed information as to how that progresses because it is the most dangerous phase of this. They are going to have to put the last american on to a Plane Or Helicopter and leave. They are most likely to not to have to coordinate that with the taliban, so the taliban clearly was said by the pentagon not to be in control of any of the gates of the airport, but eventually at some point, ever course, as the americans leave, they may be Remore Reliant on the taliban to secure the perimeter and stop the crowds from rushing on the runway like we have seen before. As of yesterday, we were informed that actually miraculously the odd Individual Or Family were getting through the gates and getting on to the airport. So its always been a very fluid situation. Its one in which the u. S. Have guaranteed if someone gets on to the airport, they will be able to take them off until The End, but that end, i think, is increasingly closer. It is highly unlikely that the u. S. Will want to get too close to that August 31 deadline. I imagine much of the departure will be completed monday, tomorrow, if not beginning at this stage, too. So this is a hugely, obviously, symbolic moment for the u. S. Military leaving their longest ever war, and it is, of course, happening with this extraordinary rate of evacuation over the past week, a rate that seems to be dropping off dramatically. Back to you. Yeah, i think a rate that reflects the devastating winds, widespread Power Outages. Those are the very, very real fears as ida strengthens again. The storm now on the brink of a Category 5 hurricane. We will have the latest forecast coming up next. [relaxed summer themed music playing] summer is a state of mind, you can visit anytime. Savor your summer with lincoln. With Voltaren Arthritis Pain gel my husbands got his moves back. An alternative to pain Pills Voltaren is the first full Prescription Strength Gel for powerful arthritis pain relief. Voltaren the joy of movement at pnc bank, we believe in the power of the watch out. The make way, coming through. Great. The storm alert. Dad. And the subtle but effective ding. 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There are so many elements of this as weve become very clear on over the last couple of hours. This latest threat, tornado. Allison chinchar is back with us. What can you tell us about this . Feels like it changes every few minutes, guys. Lets take a look. Sustained winds 150 miles per hour. Thats only seven miles per hour off from the Category 5. Its not out of the question this will get to a cat 5. It may already be. We have the Hurricane Hunters in The Storm right now. The next update in about 20 to 25 minutes from now. Moving to the northwest at 15 miles per hour. Here is the Hurricane Hunters. Not one, but two different missions that are out there. Now, one of the measurements is 161. If you remember from What Christi said, 157 is the threshold. Will they take that reading or split the difference here . We are waiting for that update. The Outer Bands are starting to move in. You are starting to notice that Heavy Rain across areas of louisiana. We have a Tornado Warning in effect right here. You can see that pink dot. These are going to become more frequent throughout the day. The thing with the Tornado Warnings and tropical systems, they spin up very fast. You dont have a lot of warning. Thats why you have the Tornado Watch so you are aware that those things can happen today. This is valid to 8 00 p. M. Eastern time tonight including mobile, biloxi, New Orleans. Storm surge numbers are already starting to go up. A lot of these areas three, even four feet now. But this is not the peakism want you to understand that. Those numbers are going to continue to go up, especially along Grand Isle in that Southern Tier of louisiana. 12 to 16 feet, phil and christi. I cannot emphasize, its the Storm Surges, the tornados, the strong winds. The list goes On And on. No question about it. We will be back to you very soon. Thank you. Next, we want to go to the director of the national Hurricane Center. Stay close. 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Lets Talk Self healing my way through the 12th house. woman in van set your intentions. Man Sitting crystals up. woman full moon bath ritual. Cleanse and find your magic. Let it go huh, huh Let It Go word, word, 88 Let It Go Let It Go at this very moment communities along the Gulf Coast arebration for Hurricane Ida, which is now sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. Sustained. Not gusts. Sustained. The category 4 hurricane is gaining strength. Its been doing so all morning ahead of making landfall in louisiana today. Officials say this could bring extremely dangerous Storm Surges. Cnn Isabelle Rosales in New Orleans this morning with the latest. Reporter Ida 140 miles per hour sustained winds. Right hear on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, No Rain right now. This is whats known as the calm before The Storm. Give it a couple of hours here, and conditions will deteriorate. But Hurricane Ida will prove to be a test to louisianas levee system. Turned into a very dangerous storm. Its now headed straight towards right towards louisiana. Reporter Ida Is Barreling Towards Louisiana as a major heroin, intensifying as it moves towards the Gulf Coast. Its going to be very severe, a category 4 when it makes landfall. Reporter 100 plus mileperhour winds, Heavy Rainfall, and according to the national Hurricane Center an extremely lifethreatening Storm Surge of 10 to 15 feet. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in parts of seven parishes. Another nine issued voluntary orders. For New Orleans The Storm moved too fast. Time is not on our side. Therefore, the city Cannot Issue a mandatory evacuation because we dont have the time. Reporter residents spent friday and Saturday Boarding up homes and businesses and gathering supplies. Those who chose to leave jammed the highways. A lot of people are scared. Im scared. As you go from Town To town, the hotels are filled up. So you just riding further and further until you find one. Reporter and on this 16th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Louisianas Governor isnt downplaying how dangerous ida will be. We can sum it up by saying this will be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit anywhere in louisiana since at least the 1850s. Reporter New Orleans is already in a vulnerable position. Its been raining here for weeks, meaning that the soil is already saturated. And the area is prone to flooding from just regular afternoon storms. Now, the national Weather Service does warn that some parts of louisiana will be uninhabitable for weeks to months after ida. In New Orleans, Isabelle Rosales. Well, we cannot get away from the fact that it was 16 years ago today that Hurricane Katrina just devastated New Orleans. So much of the Gulf Coast at that point and much of the Gulf Coast, but that was a category 3 storm. Hurricane ida is a 4. It is on the cusp of a 5. And we want to bring in now ken graham, the director of the national Hurricane Center in miami. Ken, we are is so grateful to have you with us. When you look at that radar at this moment, what does to tell you . Yeah, its, you know, a long night. Really watching this. That Rapid Intensification that we have been talking about happened and the Hurricane Hunters out there now near 150mileperhour winds. So i look at that radar and it shows just how catastrophic this is going to be. Its a lifethreatening situation. You look at this, the center here with those winds, but its not just the winds. Its the Rainfall Forecast is lifethreatening, the Storm Surge is lifethreatening. All the hazards associated with this hurricane are lifethreatening. So catastrophic event underway. Talk about that because we talk about the Storm Surge and people, there are people who stayed who have real faith in the walls that are around them in the Flood Walls and in the levees and the pumping systems. But that doesnt necessarily help rain, correct . When were talking about in excess of 15 inches of rain, what would you say to those people that stayed . Yeah, you got to be in a safe place because you think about the Storm Surge and the evacuations that took place and outside those levee systems, but that is a scary Lifethreatening Amount of Rainfall Forecast. So you think about this area in red is 10 to 20 inches of rain. So our forecast for the center, you know, you get close to the center, and that righthand side just a devastating amount of rainfall. The metro New Orleans area, covington, slidell. The Mississippi Coast as well. Also in alabama. Look how far away some of these values, 10 inches of rain. There could be flooding from alabama, mississippi, louisiana as well, and all this moisture is going to travel north. This will be well inland, places that get heavy tropical rainfall. I want to that tap into your expertise. You were part of this Awardwinning Team that made critical repair to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. What is your assessment of the levees now looking at whats in front of you . Yeah, really looking at some of this, its about the levees. I want to go back to the Storm Surge map, and it really is outside that Risk Reduction System. Think about the protection that we have in some of these areas. Outside that have with some of the you dont have that Tape Type of direction. Some of the local levees could get overtopped easily. We are talking 12 to 16 feet of Storm Surge. So its outside some of that Risk Reduction System that people need to get out of there in those areas from the Storm Surge. Just a Lifethreatening Amount of Storm Surge. Thats water up your pant leg. 12 to 16 some of these areas, the potential Storm Surges, the peak is literally water, you know, above the ground and up your pant leg. Thats devastating. Thats unsurvivable. Before i let you go, this Tornado Watch in effect until 7 00 p. M. Tonight, mind you for parts of alabama, louisiana, mississippi, that is a very expansive watch. What is your assessment of the threat of tornados . Yeah, christi, quick spinups. They are fast. You take the direction of Motion And Kind of draw quadrants like that. 90 of the tornados are in this quadrant here. Thats where you are going to see the threat for quick spinup tornados. You look at these individual cells. Any one of those could produce one of those tornados. Think how far away that is from the center. That gives you the idea that the impact isnt just about that center part. Its expansive. So many people need to be ready and watch out for the warnings. They are going to be putting warnings out throughout the entire day. We appreciate you and your expertise. Than thank you for your time and effort. We need you. Thank you. Coming up next, you heard from ken, that was a clinical strengths. Surge flooding up to 16 feet from some areas. 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I know you needed a place to study, so. And other times, it pays off knowing what to expect. At university of phoenix, you can count on fixed, affordable tuition from the moment you enroll to the day you graduate from your program. Learn more about our Tuition Guarantee at phoenix. Edu days after heading back to school, districts in the eye of Hurricane Ida are obviously closed because of The Storm. 16 districts in mississippi alone have announced theyre not holding classes tomorrow. Mississippi Governor Tate reed Declare Aid State of emergency ahead of Hurricane Idas rival. That state expecting to see damaging winds and up to two feet of rain. Officials along the Louisiana Coast are warning people who stayed in their homes, Hurricane Ida is gaining strength. Its not just the Storm Surge and strong winds that are concern. Tornado watches are up for those communities. Should you get some of those 145mileanhour gusty winds here, a bathroom, kitchen, something with no windows that you can hunker down in. It can get kind of rough. Out of 10, about a 7 right now on the worried factor. We have made all the Preparation S we have in place. Im confident that people we have, whether theyre from the National Guard, state police, harbor police, coast guard, our staff, we have done everything we can to protect our community. Now its in gods hands. All the Levy Protection Sy system, do you think that will hold up . I have a whole lot of faith in the levy systems. These things have been around since hurricane juan, but weve never seen a storm like this before. All bets are off. Like i said i have the faith in it but were going to truly test the system and see exactly whats going to happen. Godspeed to everybody in that area. Stay with cnn. We have coverage with you throughout the day. Inside politics sunday is up next. 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