Biden approves emergency in Mississippi as hurricane Ida approaches

US President Joe Biden has declared an emergency in the state of Mississippi ahead of Hurricane Ida's landfall, the White House has announced.

"The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures," the White House said on Saturday.

Hurricane Ida is expected to strike the Louisiana coast west of New Orleans as a Category 4 storm on Sunday.

Ida could become one of the strongest storms to hit the US state of Louisiana since the 1850s, Governor John Bel Edwards warned on Saturday. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has urged people to self-evacuate.

Cuban media reported on Saturday that the storm did not cause any significant damage to Cuba on Friday. Ida moved from Cuba to the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday night. According to the US government, over 90 per cent of crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was cut on Saturday ahead of Ida's arrival.

The US National Hurricane Center warned late on Saturday that Ida was strengthening rapidly ahead of landfall and that life-threatening conditions were expected along the Northern Gulf Coast starting Sunday morning.