hurricane center said . In anticipation of the storm 's arrival , Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency Sunday afternoon . Hurricane Ida `` threatens the safety and security of those citizens '' along the state 's southeast coastline , he wrote in the declaration . The declaration gives the director of the governor 's office of emergency preparedness authority `` to undertake any activity authorized by law which he deems necessary and appropriate '' to prepare for the possibility of a hurricane . Track Ida 's progress , potential path Alabama 's Baldwin County commission urged that residents living in mobile homes , coastal communities or low-lying , flood-prone areas voluntarily evacuate . The county is under a local state of emergency and opened a shelter , according to a Sunday night statement from the county commission . As of 10 p.m. ET Sunday , Ida had maximum sustained winds near 105 mph -LRB- 165 km/hr -RRB- with higher gusts . But the storm was expected to weaken on Monday and possibly begin losing tropical characteristics on Tuesday , the hurricane center said . The center of Ida was located about 400 miles -LRB- 645 km
-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Hurricane Ida moved into the southern Gulf of Mexico Sunday , prompting a declaration of emergency in Louisiana and concern along the U.S. Gulf Coast . The storm regained hurricane intensity overnight Saturday , becoming a Category 2 hurricane , but forecasters said it is expected to weaken as it moves north . Ida drenched Nicaragua after making landfall last week as a Category 1 hurricane , then weakened to a tropical storm before resuming strength . In El Salvador , at least 91 people died in flooding and mudslides , according to the government , but a low-pressure system out of the Pacific -- not Hurricane Ida -- triggered the disaster , forecaster Robby Berg of the National Hurricane Center said Sunday . A hurricane warning , meaning hurricane conditions are possible within 24 hours , extends from Pascagoula , Mississippi to Indian Pass , Florida , forecasters said . From Grande Isle , Louisiana , to west of Pascagoula , Mississippi , a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch are in effect . This area includes New Orleans , which the center earlier excluded from the watch , and Lake Pontchartrain , the