Search and rescue operations are underway after Hurricane Ida struck the Louisiana coast, leaving about a million households and businesses without power, including the entire city of New Orleans. Federal officials said it could take weeks to restore power.
The storm, now a tropical depression, hit the state as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 250 mph, ripping roofs on buildings and breaking power lines. The storm has been blamed for at least two deaths, but the Louisiana governor said the number is likely to rise in the coming days.
“We know that there are people out there waiting to be saved because their homes are habitable,” said Governor John Bel Edwards on Monday. “Please know that we have thousands of people in flood vehicles and boats doing search and rescue right now.
“We will do everything we can to reach all people who need help.”
In New Orleans, drivers were trapped in their cars by rising floods, and debris was seen flying across town from the Ochsner Medical Center. Hospitals across the region continued to treat patients, even in dangerous conditions. Brick buildings in downtown New Orleans have been completely reduced to rubble.
Despite the slowdown on Monday, the National Hurricane Center said the tropical depression is still at risk of heavy rains and flash floods as it moves across the central and northeastern Mississippi on Monday afternoon.
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