HOUSTON, Aug 31 (NNN-XINHUA) – With stranded people waiting for rescue on damaged roofs, flooded roads blocked by downed trees and power lines, and over one million people without power through yesterday morning, Hurricane Ida wreaked widespread havoc, since its landfall in southern U.S. state of Louisiana on Sunday.
The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm over south-western Mississippi, early Monday morning, about 16 hours after striking the state as a Category 4 hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said.
However, it continues to leave a path of damage. There are four flash flood emergencies in place, for portions of south-eastern Louisiana through late yesterday morning.
A tornado watch has been issued for portions of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, that was in effect through yesterday afternoon.
PowerOutage.US reported that the hurricane had triggered a massive blackout across the region, leaving at least one million customers in Louisiana and 80,000 more in Mississippi without power, as of early yesterday morning.
Hundreds of boats, high-water vehicles and helicopters headed out across southern Louisiana, in search of residents trapped on rooftops as floods overwhelmed their neighbourhoods.
In Slidell, Louisiana, Mayor Greg Cromer said, there is water in “every neighbourhood in town” and local officials had to deploy boats to rescue 15 residents off their home roofs.
“In about a three-hour period, we had probably five- to six-foot rise in the bayou, and the lake estuary system that pushed water into a number of people’s homes, on the south side of our community,” Cromer said.
At least one person was confirmed dead due to a fallen tree on his home in Prairieville, Louisiana, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said, on Sunday night. The 60-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene.
Almost all of south-east Louisiana is without power and that all eight major transmission lines that feed electricity into the greater New Orleans area have failed, said the governor.
Road and debris cleanup alone “is going to be a fairly long ordeal,” he said.
Some New Orleans officials said, it could be “weeks” before the power supply is restored, according to local media reports.
“The full extent of damage is yet to be seen,” Louisiana state police said, noting that, search and rescue workers are still not able to access certain impacted areas.
U.S. President, Joe Biden, declared a major disaster in Louisiana and ordered federal aid to supplement recovery efforts in the Ida-hit areas, the White House said on Sunday.
“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programmes to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the White House said.– NNN-XINHUA
