UPDATE: HURRICANE IDA CAUSED DESTRUCTION IN MANY STATES
Sixteen years after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, leaving thousands of people dead and homeless, Hurricane Ida came with strong wind and heavy rain to southeast Louisiana.
Hurricane Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of about 150 mph in Port Fourchon, Louisiana. Experts said it is the most robust test yet for the systems put in place since Katrina in 2005.
Officials have reported a handful of deaths since the storm hit. However, the governor said he expects deaths will rise. Some neighborhoods were underwater, and many streets were full of debris.
As Ida lost its strength, live storm coverage is end. However, local governers and state officials are all hands on deck. Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser and Gov. John Bel Edwards visited impacted areas of their state this week. In addition, state officials are conducting search and rescue efforts as more than 1 million people are still without power across Louisiana.
“Knowing that so many people stayed behind in places like Grand Isle and Lafitte, where flood waters have devastated those areas, we expect there will be more people found that have passed,” he said on NBC’s TODAY show. “Too many people always ride these storms out and take their lives into their hands.”
Ida has since made its’ way to four states where the storm brought significant flooding bringing heavy rain. The storm killed over 40 people in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut and left more than 150,000 homes without power. States of emergency remained in effect as officials grabbed a handle on the damage.
