NBC News reporter Al Roker was repeatedly hit with waves and powerful winds Sunday while reporting on Hurricane Ida from New Orleans, Louisiana.
WATCH: @alroker pummeled by waves as Hurricane Ida targets New Orleans pic.twitter.com/Fe6LlgmUJp
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 29, 2021
The video showed Roker getting hit by the waves multiple times as he attempts to report on the hurricane.
“Winds of up to 150 mph are right now forecasted, but we expect at landfall they will be at 155 mph. Storm surges of upwards of 15-16 feet. 20 inches of rain or more, with this system,” Roker reported.
Hurricane Ida has been graded as a category 4 storm and was slated to make landfall Sunday. “It’s basically a 15 mile wide F3 tornado,” Roker said. Roker also says that the difference between a category 1 storm and a category 4 storm is that the wind destruction is “330 times” more powerful.(RELATED: Tropical Storm Ida Upgraded To Hurricane, Forcing Gulf Coast Resident To Evacuate)
President Biden has already declared a state of emergency in Louisiana and ordered aid to be provided for relief efforts, according to a press release. The Governor of Louisiana previously declared a state of emergency Thursday, and New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell also issued a mandatory evacuation order for some parts of the city Friday.