JACKSON, Miss. — Almost a third of Mississippi’s counties are now eligible for reimbursement from the federal government for funds spent in preparation for Hurricane Ida, according to a statement on Sunday from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

The approved pre-disaster Emergency Measures declaration covers 24 counties and the state's only federally recognized Native American tribe, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

Gov. Tate Reeves warned during a Saturday storm briefing that the Mississippi Gulf Coast could see up to 11 feet of storm surge in some areas. Power outages throughout the state are also expected.

Climbing admissions in recent weeks of patients seriously ill from Covid-19 have overwhelmed hospitals in Mississippi's coastal counties. Health care leaders are bracing for the loss of electricity by stocking up on supplies with emergency generators at the ready.

"Access to care is a national issue, but a hurricane makes it even worse," Randall Cobb, the Singing River Health System's director of facilities and support, said in an interview with Mississippi Today. "Hospitals are at capacity. In our emergency departments, there are multiple-hour wait times."

Three hours north, several school systems in central Mississippi have already canceled classes for Monday. The Jackson Public School District and Madison County Schools will be closed tomorrow.

When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017, people on the ground used Zello — a messaging app that has been compared to a walkie-talkie — to communicate without cell phone numbers. The popularity of Zello in the aftermath of Harvey and other natural disasters has created the perception that the app is a reliable alternative to phone calls or text messages in the event of a power outage.

But as the makers of the app have clarified in the past, Zello does not work without cellular data service or an internet connection on your phone. In other words, people along the Gulf Coast will not be able to use Zello to communicate if Ida knocks out networks, limiting access to cellular data and WiFi.

Zello's official Twitter account has previously attempted to clear up the confusion, writing in 2017 that there was "massive misinformation among users" about the app's capabilities.

"There has been some misinformation about Zello requirements. Please inform others: Zello REQUIRES Internet using either WiFi or cellular data network of at least 2G," Zello tweeted at the time.

The northern eyewall of Hurricane Ida was moving onshore along the coast of southeastern Louisiana with a sustained wind of 89 mph and and a wind gust of 104 mph as of 12 p.m. ET, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm was about 25 miles south-southwest of Grand Isle, Louisiana, and about 60 miles southeast of Houma, Louisiana, the NHC said in its latest advisory.

As Hurricane Ida neared the Louisiana coast, local leaders in the parish just north of New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain said approximately 7,600 homes were already without power and gas shortages had been reported.

St. Tammany Parish President Michael Cooper provided the news in what he expected to be the last live report from the local government until after Hurricane Ida had passed.

 “Stay vigilant,” Cooper added. “Call us if you need us. We’re here to serve to the extent that we can.”

Cooper warned of the danger of the hurricane and told local residents that the parish had instituted a curfew that would start at 12 p.m. Central Time. The curfew is expected to continue until “the danger of Hurricane Ida has passed,” he said.

Leaders also warned local residents who were considering last-minute evacuations of the imminent closure of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway — the longest bridge over water in the world that connects St. Tammany Parish with New Orleans and the key southern highway Interstate 10.

For those who were remaining, Cooper said he was unsure whether the two local shelters — both gymnasiums — were full. Locals, he said, should shelter in place if they can and remain indoors with their families. 

Even if the storm reduces in strength, he said, “it is still a dramatic storm and one we have to reckon with.”

Storms are delivering more rain.

Intense rainfall, like the rains Hurricane Ida brings with it, are increasingly becoming a part of hurricane and tropical storm activity, which scientists attribute to climate change.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tracks the rainiest point measured of storms affecting the U.S. and Mexico. According to an NBC News analysis of its data, the maximum rainfall per year is up from an average of 11.5 inches of rain per storm in the 1970s to an average of 15.9 inches in the 2010s.

See the per-year averages below.

President Biden has approved an emergency disaster declaration ahead of Hurricane Ida making landfall in order to activate federal resources that can assist states most affected by the storm. 

The declaration deployed 2,000 FEMA employees to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, according to a release from White House Regional Communications Director Ike Hajinazarian. Among those being deployed are seven FEMA incident management teams in Louisiana and Mississippi. 

Additionally, FEMA activated 100 ambulances and EMS personnel to assist with post-storm evacuations as well as 13 urban search and rescue teams. 

In Alexandria, Louisiana, a FEMA staging area has been set up with food, water and generators, and in Mobile, Alabama, the U.S. Coast Guard has prepared fixed and rotary aircrafts and shallow water boats.

The U.S. Coast Guard has also cleared any barges along the Mississippi coastline as well as New Orleans. Ports in Houma, Louisiana, and New Orleans closed on Saturday. 

Three U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services Disaster Medical Assistance teams based in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi are also in place for assisting the state's response to the Covid-19 pandemic.