More than a week after Hurricane Ida first hit Louisiana, state health officials have announced 11 additional storm-related deaths, bringing the official death toll to 82.
The Louisiana Department of Health said Wednesday that the Orleans Parish Forensic Office confirmed the additional deaths. Two died from carbon monoxide poisoning, while the others died from “excessive heat during an electrical outage,” according to the department.
Louisiana has reported a total of 26 storm-related deaths. At least seven nursing home residents died after being moved to one warehouse installation in Tangipahoa parish, where more than 800 residents of seven nursing homes were housed while Ida broke state. Images from the warehouse show patients in poor condition and packed very close on the mattresses.
Four other people died in the southeast, while another 52 died in the northeast after Ida remains brought tornadoes and severe flooding to the area last week.
President Biden traveled Tuesday in New York and New Jersey to analyze storm damage. The president pointed to the climate extreme when he pushed for the need for massive spending on infrastructure and addressed the effects of climate change.
The storm touched down in Louisiana on August 29 – 16th anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans – as a Category 4 storm and left dozens of residents without electricity, in addition to gas and water shortages. Some residents in the state remain without electricity nine days later, according to PowerOutage.us. Entergia he tweeted Wednesday has restored power to 70% of customers who lost electricity in New Orleans during the storm.
Last week, officials dear Many who do not yet have electricity would restore it this week, with the exceptions of the Venetian islands along Highway 11, Irish Bayou and Lake Catherine, which are not expected to be restored until 25 September.