Hurricane Ida, which made landfall over Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm, has moved out of the area. As a result, over 1 million people in Louisiana and over 50,000 in Mississippi have lost power, according to PowerOutage.us. In some areas, the power is expected to be out for three weeks to a month, CNN reports.
“The New Orleans flood protection system designed after Hurricane Katrina worked as planned, our businesses and homes did not take on water, and there are no rescue operations currently underway in New Orleans,” said New Orleans & Company (formerly the New Orleans CVB) in a statement. “We are extremely grateful for that. In fact, many New Orleans hotels are open on generator power and serving their guests and first responders.”
See an update from the French Quarter from KHOU 11's Xavier Walton here:
It added: “We do have work ahead of us in New Orleans—our biggest challenge at this time is that the city is completely without power. Several transmission lines that deliver power to New Orleans are out of service due to storm damage. Entergy New Orleans, our public utility, is assessing the damage and it could possibly be a couple of days before an estimate can be made on how long power could be out. Restoration of power is a priority, and we will keep you posted as we gather additional information.
“All New Orleans residents and visitors are being asked to stay indoors and off the roads while damage assessments are underway. Most injuries can occur after the storm passes when people venture outside. Many roads are still closed or impassable. Roads accessing New Orleans also remain blocked by debris in some cases. We advise you not to attempt to drive into New Orleans at this time.”
Airport Update: Airlines cancelled all flights at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport on Monday, and 171 cancellations were reported for Tuesday. More cancellations may still be announced. Passengers are advised not to come to the airport and should make arrangements directly with their airlines.
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