Hurricane Ida: The areas of Louisiana most affected by Hurricane Ida need a fundamental change in the way they are protected, says an official

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“We need to fundamentally change the way we are thinking about protecting these areas, particularly Grand Isle,” said Chip Kline, the governor’s executive assistant for coastal activities. “The sand dunes on the island side and the segmented breakwaters will not cut it.

“So we will work with the Corps of Engineers and our Congressional delegation to examine new strategies on how we can provide better protection, more resilient protection and strengthen the structures around Grand Isle and Lafitte,” Kline said.

Grand Isle, Louisiana’s last inhabited barrier island at the southern tip of the state, was hit by strong Ida winds, heavy rains and storm surges.

Bryan Adams, director of Jefferson Parish Fire Services, had said 40-50% of Grand Isle homes had disappeared and all fields were damaged.

“I’ve never seen it look like that. It’s decimated,” Adams said after examining the storm’s ruins.

The remains of houses destroyed in Grand Isle, Louisiana.

On Thursday, Kline said the devastation experienced in areas unprotected by Louisiana’s dam system would not be forgotten.

“I want the people of Lafitte and Grand Isle to know that this governor and the state’s coastal program are not forgetting these areas,” said Kline, who is also chairman of the Board of the Protection Authority. and Louisiana Coast Restoration.

A search and rescue team inspects homes in Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Instead, Kline hailed the protection provided by the state’s hurricane risk reduction system in other areas.

“There are no excess dikes, no dam faults, no dam violations, so a very different picture on the ground today after Hurricane Ida, compared to the picture we saw on the ground after of Hurricane Katrina, “Kline said. “And that’s thanks to the $ 14 billion federal investment in the New Orleans area.”

Ida cut a deadly road through the region, destroying businesses and neighborhoods and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. It also claimed the lives of at least 26 people in Louisiana and two in Mississippi.

Greg Knight throws a wooden beam at his storm-damaged home in Grand Isle, Louisiana.

Some areas are still in the dark as power outages occur

There are more than 189,000 customers, including homes and businesses, still without electricity in Louisiana more than 11 days after the hurricane attack, according to PowerOutage.us.

“Our crews are suffering massive damage, especially in the hardest hit areas,” said John Hawkins, vice president of Distribution Operations for Entergy Louisiana. “We have assembled a storm team of nearly 26,000 people who will not stop until the last light is turned on again.”

75% of power outages reported in Louisiana after the restoration of Hurricane Ida, according to the governor

Ochsner Health officials said the power at its New Orleans hospitals has returned to operation, but that is not the case at other facilities.

It could be four weeks before St. Anne of the health care system in Raceland, Louisiana, and Chabert Hospital in Houma, Louisiana, were fully operational.

On Wednesday, New Orleans lifted the curfew imposed by restoring power to most of the city.

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