(Reuters) -Hurricane Ida intensified over warm Gulf of Mexico waters on Saturday, prompting tens of thousands to flee coastal areas, while President Joe Biden pledged aid to help states quickly recover once the storm has passed. Biden on Saturday said 500 federal emergency response workers were in Texas and Louisiana to respond to the storm. Exxon Mobil Corp is cutting production by 50% at its Baton Rouge, Louisiana, refinery said sources familiar with plant operations. Ida, the ninth named storm and fourth hurricane of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season, may well exceed the strength of Hurricane Laura, the last Category 4 storm to strike Louisiana, by the time it makes landfall, forecasters said. The region was devastated in August 2005 by Hurricane Katrina, which killed more than 1,800 people.

Source: MetroXpress August 28, 2021 17:46 UTC