In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, work to strengthen Louisiana levees was first tested by Hurricane Ida - amid fears storms may outpace them.
Ida is scheduled to make landfall on Sunday - the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
Concerns of dam breaches increased in the wake of the 2005 storm.
Warnings of 'unsurvivable' storms up to 15 feet high
Winds have already reached 150 mph, with gusts of up to 165 mph.
Its 17 miles in diameter, bringing floods, thunder, lightning, storms, and hurricanes to areas.
It is currently located about 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana and is expected to make landfall later Sunday.
Louisiana is bracing for its worst hurricane ever, with Ida approaching a 17-mile eye, 165-mph winds, and 16-foot storms that could flood barriers on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The storm — which carried winds of 150 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 165 miles per hour — is on the cusp of becoming a Category 5 hurricane, amid fears it could be the strongest ever to hit the southern state.
Its 17 miles in diameter, with severe weather events that cause flash floods, thunder, lightning, storms, and tornadoes in areas in or near its path.
Nola.com reports that officials are increasingly concerned that Ida's footfalls may bypass levees — concrete walls built to protect from floodwaters.
Jefferson Parish, located near New Orleans, is said to be particularly vulnerable to abuse.
It would be the first time the newly upgraded defenses had been breached since they were reinforced in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which struck on August 29, 2005, and killed 1,800 people.
The sky was seen darkening over Lake Pontchartrain in Mandeville, Louisiana, Sunday morning as Ida approached the state's coast.
Route 90 in Gulfport, Mississippi, saw roads inundated by Ida as a Category 4 hurricane set to cause flooding and storms of up to 15 feet.
The skies over New Orleans turned dark Sunday morning, as the city's I-10 motorway was deserted mainly as locals prepared for Ida.
A satellite image from the International Space Station shows how large Ida is as it lies off the coast of the United States.
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