Tens of thousands of people are fleeing the US state of Louisiana as Hurricane Ida closes in from the Gulf of Mexico.
Ida is now a Category Four hurricane, one below the highest level, with up to 140mph (225km/h) sustained winds.
It is expected to make landfall on Sunday evening, bringing a "life-threatening" storm surge. It could be stronger than Hurricane Katrina, which devastated much of New Orleans in 2005.
Traffic jams clogged motorways as residents heeded orders to evacuate.
The National Hurricane Center said "potentially catastrophic wind damage and flooding rainfall will impact portions of the northern Gulf coast beginning later this morning" (Sunday).
Governor John Bel Edwards warned the storm could be one of the biggest to hit the state in 150 years.
"Your window of time is closing," he warned residents on Saturday.
Hurricane Ida: Thousands flee as category four storm bears down on Louisiana - BBC Newshttps://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-58372746