ALEXANDRIA, Va.—Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards yesterday declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Ida, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane poised to strike the northern Gulf Coast over the weekend and into Monday.
“Now is the time for Louisianans to prepare for impacts from Tropical Storm Ida, which is expected to become a major hurricane. Louisiana is likely to start feeling effects this weekend, so get your game plan in place, monitor local news & heed local officials,” Gov. Edwards tweeted Thursday evening.
“By Saturday evening, everyone should be in the location where they intend to ride out the storm,” Gov. Edwards advised.
Ida was expected to quickly intensify to at least a Category 2 hurricane storm that could strike the northern Texas coastline and Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coastlines, according to the National Hurricane Center. “There is an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge inundation along the coasts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama,” the center said.
One year ago today, Hurricane Laura struck Southwest Louisiana as a category 4 hurricane. Sunday marks the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s deadly landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi as a Category 3 storm.
Shell yesterday evening said it is closely monitoring Ida and its potential impact on Gulf Coast manufacturing facilities in Deer Park, Texas, Geismar and Norco, Louisiana and Mobile, Alabama and is prepared to act in accordance with its hurricane readiness and response plans.
“We are following a multi-phase plan that identifies people and equipment that need attention. The plan is premised on the projected path and severity of the storm and can be adjusted to fit changing weather conditions,” Shell said in its storm update.
“Before each hurricane season, Shell sites on the Gulf Coast review and test this plan based on various hurricane scenarios. Our facilities regularly confer with local emergency operations centers to share information on preparedness and response tasks, and we work closely with city officials whenever severe weather could affect local residents.”
NACS resources are available to help convenience retailers develop or enhance their disaster planning procedures. The Convenience Store Emergency Planning and Job Aids are designed to help convenience retailers quickly and efficiently determine the best course of action for their teams to plan for an emergency and resume operations quickly and safely.
For more emergency planning resources, NACS Magazine articles and Convenience Matters podcast episodes, visit the Disaster and Emergency Preparedness page.