More than a million people in Louisiana and Mississippi were left without power after Hurricane Ida made landfall as a strong Category 4 hurricane and now pushes northeast with heavy flash flooding conditions and dangerous storm surges.
The Bayou State reported 1,023,255 customers were still without power as of Monday morning, and Mississippi reported at least 121,669 people still without electricity. So far, one death has been attributed to the storm after someone was struck by a falling tree in Prairieville, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office.
“Shortly after 8:30 p.m. deputies received reports of a citizen possibly injured from a fallen tree at a residence off of Highway 621 in Prairieville. Deputies arrived on scene and confirmed that the victim is now deceased,” the department said on Sunday.
Entergy also confirmed the only power in New Orleans was stemming from generators following “catastrophic” transmission damage. The city relies on Entergy backup power for the pumps that send stormwater over levees within the city. The system was improved following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, though the latest storm has tested the system yet again.
67-YEAR-OLD AL ROKER BRAVES LASHING WAVES FOR HURRICANE IDA FORECAST AND TELLS DOUBTERS ‘SCREW YOU’
Bourbon Street blackout. Absolutely unreal in pitch black and absolutely soaked thru New Orleans tonight. (Light out the door is via some small but mighty flashlights ?) #HurricaneIda pic.twitter.com/l1iJoexiqU
— Sarah Boxer (@Sarah_Boxer) August 30, 2021
Several buildings also collapsed following the powerful winds of up to 150 mph that swept through the coastlines before the storm gradually weakened.
One brick building was seen completely collapsed and was reportedly the former Karnofsky Tailor Shop, which was dubbed a second home to Louis Armstrong and an important historical jazz site, according to an editor for the Advocate.
MONSTER HURRICANE IDA MAKES LANDFALL ON 16TH ANNIVERSARY OF KATRINA
This building, the former Karnofsky Tailor shop, was a “second home” to Louis Armstrong https://t.co/4YFPdUTAHa https://t.co/XNLFuzecLw
— Andy Horowitz (@andydhorowitz) August 30, 2021
There was also a temporary emergency services outage Sunday that was restored later in the morning, according to the Orleans Parish Communication District.
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster in Louisiana over the weekend and ordered federal aid to supplement the state’s recovery efforts after the hurricane.
Army Maj. Gen. William “Hank” Taylor provided an update on Monday for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard’s response to the hurricane disaster.
FEMA and the National Guard “activated more than 5,200 personnel in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama in response to the hurricane. They bring a variety of assets, including high water vehicles, rotary lift, and other transportation capability to support recovery efforts,” Taylor said during a Defense Department briefing.
Gov. John Bel Edwards told residents the cleanup and recovery efforts could take weeks before a return to normalcy after the storm.
“Many, many people are going to be tested in ways that we can only imagine today,” the governor said at a news conference Sunday.
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He added, “There is always light after darkness, and I can assure you we are going to get through this.”
