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Devastation from Hurricane Ida is becoming apparent throughout Louisiana as authorities begin to assess the damage. While the damage is not as bad as it could have been in the worst case scenarios, it will likely take months for some areas to fully recover and become habitable again. Rescuers are still searching for people who may be trapped after the storm and at least one million people are likely to be without power for weeks.
Ida leaves path of destruction and flooding
Ida rapidly developed into an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane in the hours before it made landfall on August 29.
There were fears that such a powerful storm might cause a repeat of Katrina for New Orleans if the levees failed once again to hold back floodwaters.
The billions of dollars spent on strengthening infrastructure since 2005 appear to have paid off for Louisiana; the levees largely did what they were supposed to do this time.
Even with the levees doing their jobs Ida has devastated large swathes of Louisiana and parts of Mississippi and the ordeal for locals is not over yet.
A small number of deaths and injuries are known but the full human cost of the hurricane has likely not yet been fully assessed.
Two deaths occurred in Mississippi when a section of highway collapsed under immense pressure of rainfall from Ida, according to local officials.
Millions without power
One of the most dangerous effects of Ida is yet to come; there are potentially millions of people around the Gulf Coast who are now completely without power.
Restoring power to all of these people will likely be an enormously difficult and lengthy task and the vast majority will have to endure days or weeks of intense heat without air conditioning.
New Orleans is among the areas which is without power and residents who evacuated before the storm are being told to not attempt to return to their homes for now.
Some of those homes may no longer exist; in addition to flooding , Ida tore buildings apart and demolished roofs in some areas.
Hospitals crowded with Covid patients were evacuated as the storm approached and caring for these patients is one of the many major logistical problems now faced by the state.
Ida is no longer a hurricane but as it moves northeast it still has the potential to cause flooding in Tennessee and other states along its path.
