The stunning photographs captured when the sun rose in Louisiana showed the true degree of destruction of Hurricane Ida, as more than a million people were still without electricity and officials warned that it could be weeks before the sun sets. network is fully restored.
The images showed a trace of damage Monday in New Orleans by the Category 4 storm, which crashed into the region on Sunday with winds of up to 150 mph, making it one of the most powerful in U.S. history. .
In the city’s French Quarter, the roof of a building next to the Jax Brewery was obstructing traffic after the strong wind of the storm swept it away, according to a photo.
Some brave residents ventured outside to surprise the damage, including a man who was captured with a flashlight to examine the post-apocalyptic scene.
The storm also destroyed the city’s Karnofsky music store on South Rampart Street.
The photos showed the hurricane coming out of the store, where Louis Armstrong once played jazz music and worked briefly, lots of bricks, shattered windows and other debris.
Meanwhile, in Houma, La., The scaffolding was ripped from a hotel and fell on a vehicle.
Photos from Kenner, Louisiana, showed streets completely submerged in floodwaters and downed power lines.
The monster storm also affected neighboring states.
In Biloxi, Mississippi, a motorist was trapped in a street flooded with rising water, before recruiting another person to help her push her car, photos show.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator Deanne Criswell said they were still assessing the storm damage and the full impact would not be known until later.
“We’re hearing about widespread structural damage,” Criswell told CNN. “I don’t think there could have been a worse path for this storm. It will have some significant impacts. “
Ida has claimed the life of at least one person so far: a 60-year-old man who was mortally wounded when he was hit by a fallen tree.
Meanwhile, more than a million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi were left without electricity, according to PowerOutage.US.
A power cut map of Louisiana showed that more than 80% of the state was affected, with problems spanning at least 14 counties.
All of New Orleans lost power toward Sunday’s sunset as strong gusts of wind blew through the region.
The fierce storm also caused power outages at 39 medical facilities that ran on generators, FEMA said.
More than 2,200 evacuees were housed Monday morning at 41 Louisiana shelters, according to the governor’s office, which is expected to increase as more residents are rescued from flooded homes.
The Louisiana National Guard said it activated 4,900 troops and had 195 offshore vehicles, 73 rescue boats and 34 helicopters ready to provide assistance.
Ida tied the fifth strongest hurricane to hit the mainland when it made landfall around the oil town of Port Fourchon, around 11:55 a.m. local time on Sunday.
Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday, but heavy rains could still cause life-threatening floods, the National Hurricane Center said.
In addition, Louisiana is betting on a wave of COVID-19 amid the chaos.
“It’s a COVID nightmare,” said Christina Stephens, the governor’s spokeswoman.
“We anticipate we could see some COVID spikes related to this.”
With publishing cables