Louisiana communities battered by Hurricane Ida are facing a new danger: the possibility of weeks without power in the stifling, late-summer heat. Ida ravaged the region’s power grid, leaving the entire city of New Orleans and hundreds of thousands of other Louisiana residents in the dark with no clear timeline on when power would return. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said 25,000 utility workers were in the state to help restore electricity, with more on the way. Still, his office described damage to the power grid as “catastrophic,” and power officials said it could be weeks before electricity is restored in some spots. One of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. mainland has now weakened into a tropical depression over Mississippi with heavy rain and flash flood threats inland. The governor said in a news conference Monday afternoon that over 1 million customers remain without power across the state. Power outage information: Power outages across New Orleans Where to get gas in Louisiana: Click here to find gas near youNo major flooding was reported inside the flood control system that protects New Orleans, but with communications spotty and no power, the extent of the damage across the city was not immediately clear.Edwards said search and rescue efforts are ongoing. Almost 200 residents and over two dozen pets were rescued by the National Guard, according to Edwards. Individuals from New York and Massachusetts are en route to help with search and rescue efforts. The governor said that those who evacuated should not be returning to their homes.”It’s pretty clear that if you have evacuated, now is not the time to return,” Edwards said. “Businesses aren’t open. Stores aren’t open. Schools aren’t open.” WATCH: Live coverage of Hurricane Ida here: The first storm-related death was reported late Sunday in Ascension Parish after authorities said a tree fell on a home. Edwards identified the person as a 60-year-old man during his Monday news conference. A second storm-related death was reported by the Louisiana Department of Health Monday evening. A male drowned after his vehicle appeared to have attempted to go through floodwater near Interstate 10 and West End Boulevard in Lakeview, the department said in a tweet. A third presumed death that is being investigated as a possible storm death involves a man who was attacked by an alligator in Slidell. Hurricane Ida knocked out power to all of New Orleans and inundated coastal Louisiana communities on a deadly path through the Gulf Coast that is still unfolding and promises more destruction. Utility workers spanning from 22 different states are working to restore power, but Edwards did not have a timeline on when the power will be restored as of Monday afternoon.”There are an awful lot of unknowns right now,” Edwards said. “I can’t tell you when the power will be restored.” Grand Isle was one of the areas devastated by Ida. ‘We’re not aware of any loss of life in Grand Isle,” Edwards said. “It was only accessible by air and I know we’ve been able to get some assets (on the ground) today.”Forecasters warned of damaging winds, heavy rainfall that could cause flash floods and life-threatening storm surge as Ida continued its rampage Monday through southeastern Louisiana and then into Mississippi. It made landfall on the same day 16 years earlier that Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi. Its 150-mph (230 kph) winds tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland. With more than 1 million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi having lost power, Hurricane Ida is sure to take a toll on the energy, chemical and shipping industries that have major hubs along the Gulf Coast. But the impact on the overall U.S. economy will likely be modest so long as damage estimates don’t rise sharply and refinery shutdowns are not prolonged, economists say. The hurricane is expected to inflict a less severe financial impact than Hurricane Katrina did 16 years ago, thanks to a lower storm surge and New Orleans’ improved levee system, which is better able to withstand storm surges. New Orleans residents faced a massive cleanup effort and possibly weeks without power. Whole toppled trees blocked streets, pulled down power lines, covered yards and damaged homes. With power likely to be out for weeks, John Pope said he would survive without electricity — with help from neighbors who have a generator — until a scheduled trip out of town next week.Ehab Meselhe, a professor in Tulane’s engineering school, planned to head out of town once he and his wife finished cleaning up the tree branches and limbs littering their yard. “I have another house in Lafayette,” he said. “Once power is back, we’ll come back.”A few blocks away, Hank Fanberg stuffed hurricane debris into a garbage back as generators roared on either side of his lightly damaged house. He said neighbors on both sides have generators and they have both already offered, “so we’re going to be in good shape in terms of some electricity.” Sitting on a screened porch while listening to a battery-operated radio and feeding her one-year-old daughter, Pamela Mitchell wasn’t sure what she would do. She had already spent a hot and frightening night at home while Ida’s winds shrieked. She was thinking about trying to leave. But her 14-year-old daughter, Michelle, was determined to stay, preparing to clean out the refrigerator and put perishables in an ice chest. “We went a week before — with Zeta,” she said, recalling the hurricane that hit the city last fall. “So, we’ll be alright.”Those in need of assistance can contact FEMA by clicking here to visit the website, or calling 800-621-3362.RELATED: Tracking Ida: Maps, models and paths Remaining weather warnings: Click here to see the latest weather alerts in your areaMore from WDSU Latest on power outagesRoad closures across Southeast Louisiana AT&T latest on massive phone outagePHOTOS: Aftermath of Hurricane IdaHow to watch WDSU News if you do not have power School closure listCurfews by parish
Louisiana communities battered by Hurricane Ida are facing a new danger: the possibility of weeks without power in the stifling, late-summer heat.
Ida ravaged the region’s power grid, leaving the entire city of New Orleans and hundreds of thousands of other Louisiana residents in the dark with no clear timeline on when power would return.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said 25,000 utility workers were in the state to help restore electricity, with more on the way.
Still, his office described damage to the power grid as “catastrophic,” and power officials said it could be weeks before electricity is restored in some spots.
One of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. mainland has now weakened into a tropical depression over Mississippi with heavy rain and flash flood threats inland. The governor said in a news conference Monday afternoon that over 1 million customers remain without power across the state.
Power outage information: Power outages across New Orleans
Where to get gas in Louisiana: Click here to find gas near you
No major flooding was reported inside the flood control system that protects New Orleans, but with communications spotty and no power, the extent of the damage across the city was not immediately clear.
Edwards said search and rescue efforts are ongoing. Almost 200 residents and over two dozen pets were rescued by the National Guard, according to Edwards. Individuals from New York and Massachusetts are en route to help with search and rescue efforts.
The governor said that those who evacuated should not be returning to their homes.
“It’s pretty clear that if you have evacuated, now is not the time to return,” Edwards said. “Businesses aren’t open. Stores aren’t open. Schools aren’t open.”
WATCH: Live coverage of Hurricane Ida here:
The first storm-related death was reported late Sunday in Ascension Parish after authorities said a tree fell on a home. Edwards identified the person as a 60-year-old man during his Monday news conference.
A second storm-related death was reported by the Louisiana Department of Health Monday evening. A male drowned after his vehicle appeared to have attempted to go through floodwater near Interstate 10 and West End Boulevard in Lakeview, the department said in a tweet.
A third presumed death that is being investigated as a possible storm death involves a man who was attacked by an alligator in Slidell.
Hurricane Ida knocked out power to all of New Orleans and inundated coastal Louisiana communities on a deadly path through the Gulf Coast that is still unfolding and promises more destruction. Utility workers spanning from 22 different states are working to restore power, but Edwards did not have a timeline on when the power will be restored as of Monday afternoon.
“There are an awful lot of unknowns right now,” Edwards said. “I can’t tell you when the power will be restored.”
Grand Isle was one of the areas devastated by Ida.
‘We’re not aware of any loss of life in Grand Isle,” Edwards said. “It was only accessible by air and I know we’ve been able to get some assets (on the ground) today.”
Forecasters warned of damaging winds, heavy rainfall that could cause flash floods and life-threatening storm surge as Ida continued its rampage Monday through southeastern Louisiana and then into Mississippi.
It made landfall on the same day 16 years earlier that Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi. Its 150-mph (230 kph) winds tied it for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the mainland.
With more than 1 million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi having lost power, Hurricane Ida is sure to take a toll on the energy, chemical and shipping industries that have major hubs along the Gulf Coast.
But the impact on the overall U.S. economy will likely be modest so long as damage estimates don’t rise sharply and refinery shutdowns are not prolonged, economists say.
The hurricane is expected to inflict a less severe financial impact than Hurricane Katrina did 16 years ago, thanks to a lower storm surge and New Orleans’ improved levee system, which is better able to withstand storm surges.
New Orleans residents faced a massive cleanup effort and possibly weeks without power. Whole toppled trees blocked streets, pulled down power lines, covered yards and damaged homes.
With power likely to be out for weeks, John Pope said he would survive without electricity — with help from neighbors who have a generator — until a scheduled trip out of town next week.
Ehab Meselhe, a professor in Tulane’s engineering school, planned to head out of town once he and his wife finished cleaning up the tree branches and limbs littering their yard. “I have another house in Lafayette,” he said. “Once power is back, we’ll come back.”
A few blocks away, Hank Fanberg stuffed hurricane debris into a garbage back as generators roared on either side of his lightly damaged house. He said neighbors on both sides have generators and they have both already offered, “so we’re going to be in good shape in terms of some electricity.”
Sitting on a screened porch while listening to a battery-operated radio and feeding her one-year-old daughter, Pamela Mitchell wasn’t sure what she would do. She had already spent a hot and frightening night at home while Ida’s winds shrieked. She was thinking about trying to leave. But her 14-year-old daughter, Michelle, was determined to stay, preparing to clean out the refrigerator and put perishables in an ice chest. “We went a week before — with Zeta,” she said, recalling the hurricane that hit the city last fall. “So, we’ll be alright.”
Those in need of assistance can contact FEMA by clicking here to visit the website, or calling 800-621-3362.
RELATED: Tracking Ida: Maps, models and paths
Remaining weather warnings: Click here to see the latest weather alerts in your area
