THIS is the shocking moment Al Roker was pummeled by waves while reporting on Hurricane Ida in New Orleans as the host recovers from cancer.
The Today Show host, 67, was battered by huge waves and strong winds this morning as Americans braced for what could be one of the strongest storms to hit the United States in years.
Roker was pictured ankle-deep in water and struggling to stay upright while reporting live from New Orleans for NBC as Hurricane Ida made landfall on Sunday.
It comes after Roker revealed in November last year he had been been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer.
He said at the time he would be taking time off work to undergo surgery and recover.
Revealing the diagnosis live on air, Roker claimed he wanted to be open about his diagnosis to spread awareness about the disease.
His live report came just hours before Hurricane Ida made landfall near Port Fourchon at 11.55am, the National Hurricane Center said.
Ida has strengthened to a Category 4 storm and hit the United States on the exact date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said the hurricane will be one of the strongest storms to hit the state "since at least the 1850s".
Fierce winds have already hit Grand Isle, and before power was lost on the Louisiana barrier island, a beachfront webcams showed the ocean steadily rising as growing waves churned and palm trees whipped.
"This will be a life-altering storm for those who aren’t prepared," National Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott warned during a news conference with Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards on Friday.
Officials in New Orleans said Ida's rapid intensification from a few thunderstorms to a massive hurricane over three days has left no time to organize a mandatory evacuation of its 390,000 residents.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell urged residents to leave voluntarily and those who stayed were warned to prepare for long power outages amid sweltering heat.
Forecasters warned winds stronger than 115mph were expected soon in Houma – a city of 33,000 that supports oil platforms in the Gulf.
EMERGENCY SUPPORT
President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi ahead of Ida's arrival.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki revealed FEMA will send almost 150 medical personnel and nearly 50 ambulances to the Gulf Coast to assist hospitals.
University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy said: "Ida will most definitely be stronger than Katrina, and by a pretty big margin.
"And, the worst of the storm will pass over New Orleans and Baton Rouge, which got the weaker side of Katrina."
Hurricane Ida nearly doubled in strength in just 24 hours – going from an 85mph storm to a 150mph storm.
Jeff Masters, a former National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration hurricane hunter meteorologist and founder of Weather Underground warned the region could face devastating damage to its petrochemical sites and major ports.
The state is also dealing with the nation's third-highest rate of new Covid infections, with about 3,400 new cases reported on Friday alone.
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