News: Hurricane Ida
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Louisiana communities battered by Hurricane Ida are facing a new danger: the possibility of weeks without power in the stifling, late-summer heat.
Ida ravaged the region’s power grid, leaving the entire city of New Orleans and hundreds of thousands of other Louisiana residents in the dark.
There’s no clear timeline on when power would return.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said 25,000 utility workers were in the state to help restore electricity, with more on the way. Still, his office described damage to the power grid as “catastrophic,” and power officials said it could be weeks before electricity is restored in some spots.
Overnight, tropical storm Ida caused the collapse of Highway 26 in Mississippi near Lucedale, killing two people and injuring ten others.
U.S. EPA approves emergency fuel waivers for Louisiana, Mississippi due to Hurricane Ida https://t.co/SCoP8DctHP pic.twitter.com/Zb3BRdRcnP
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 31, 2021
The tropic depression still contains a lot of moisture. Weather officials says rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches are forecast for the Tri-stte area Wed. into Wed. night.
The ground is already very saturated from recent rains. Forecasters say flash flooding will be a serious concern.
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