Hurricane Ida heads toward Gulf of Mexico, floods kill 91 in El Salvador

Voice of America: A strengthened Hurricane Ida is making its way toward the Gulf of Mexico, while the death toll from floods in El Salvador has risen to 91. In its latest weather advisory Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said hurricane conditions were possible in the next day or two for parts of the northern U.S. Gulf Coast, from Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle.

The governor of Louisiana (Bobby Jindal) has declared a state of emergency in preparation for the storm, allowing state resources to be used in case of an emergency. Earlier in the day, the Category 2 hurricane battered the Mexican resort town of Cancun and parts of the Yucatan Peninsula, which remains under a hurricane warning.

The government of El Salvador said three days of heavy rain triggered flooding and mudslides across the country that have left at least 60 people missing and thousands more in shelters. Authorities in El Salvador blamed remnants of Hurricane Ida for some of the devastation, although forecasters hesitated to make a direct link….

Hurricane Ida's path, plotted by Cyclonebiskit using data from NASA and the National Hurricane Center