Ida landed in the U.S. on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane, immediately swamping the barrier island of Grand Isle and ripping off roofs on buildings around Port Fourchon.
Parishes and counties across Louisiana and Mississippi could experience water shortages and power outages for days after fallen trees and high waters damaged power lines. Officials in New Orleans and Lafourche Parish told evacuees to not return until further notice.
“There is widespread debris, power remains out, and emergency services are working to respond to those still in the city,” NOLA Ready, the city of New Orleans emergency preparedness camping said. “We will let you know when it is safe to come home.”
Ida has now been downgraded to a tropical storm but it is expected to bring heavy rain, flooding and high winds through Appalachia to the mid-Atlantic into the middle of the week. Tornado watches are in effect across Alabama, western Florida panhandle and southeast Mississippi. One tornado already ripped up a motel in Saraland, Alabama Monday afternoon.
FEMA and more than 5,000 National Guard members from several states have convened on the Gulf Coast to assist with search and rescue efforts and to help restore services and clear debris.
During a press briefing Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the damage from Ida along the Gulf Coast “catastrophic” and said it could be weeks before power services and roadways are back up and running.
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“Hurricane Ida packed a very powerful punch,” Louisiana Governor says Hurricane Ida could increase gas prices Historic jazz site destroyed by Ida President Biden calls states impacted by Ida “resilient”
During the calls, Biden detailed federal efforts to survey damage and ensure access to electricity, water and cell phone service, the Associated Press reported.
The president said Monday that state officials should contact the White House if they need additional support — even though the effort is being led by FEMA.
“We’ll get you what you need if we can,” Biden said. “The people of Louisiana and Mississippi are resilient. But it’s in moments like these where we can certainly see the power of government to respond to the needs of the people, if government’s prepared and if they respond.”
During a press briefing Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki called the damage from Ida along the Gulf Coast “catastrophic” and said it could be weeks before power services and roadways are back up and running.
“This will be a lengthy whole of government and whole of community response and recovery effort,” Psaki said.
The Gulf Coast is full of oil rigs and refiners that produce a large share of the nation’s fuel supply chain. Ida has shut down oil production and which will likely lead to a 10 to 20 cent increase at the pump.
“Drivers will almost assuredly see gas prices rise this week, because of Hurricane Ida’s effects on the Gulf Coast,” Mark Jenkins, a spokesman for the American Automobile Association (AAA), said in a statement.
“Based on overnight movement in the futures market, a 10-20 cent jump at the pump is not out of the question,” Jenkins added. “Where gas prices go from here will depend on the extent of the damage and how long it will take for fuel production and transportation lines to return to normal.”
AAA also noted that refineries in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama make up more than 45 percent of the country’s capacity for refining crude oil into gasoline. The area is also the site of 2,000 offshore oil platforms, which produce 17 percent of the nation’s crude oil.
READ MORE: “Hurricane Ida Could Drive Up Gas Prices After Almost All Gulf Oil Production Shuts Down”
The tornado hit Saraland, a town about 12 miles north of Mobile, at around 12:40 p.m. local time. The Plantation Motel along highway 43 was among the businesses hit.
There are tornado watches in Clarke and Wilcox Counties through Monday afternoon, according to the NWS Mobile station.
Tornado watches are also in effect across the western Florida panhandle and southeast Mississippi.
The Karnofsky Tailor Shop was a historic national landmark where Louis Armstrong worked before he began his legendary jazz career.
The store was opened in 1913 by the Karnofsky family. They hired Armstrong to work on their coal and junk wagons, but they also provided a second home for him. He would often eat meals with them, and they also loaned him money for his first cornet, helping to launch his career, according to National Park Service.
The Louis Armstrong House Museum described it as “heartbreaking” on Twitter.
READ MORE: “Historic New Orleans Jazz Site Karnofsky Shop Destroyed by Hurricane Ida”
Cantrell said a driver in New Orleans drowned during the hurricane.
“This case remains under investigation,” coroner’s spokesman Jason Melancon to the Associated Press.
He would not answer specific questions about whether the coroner’s office is investigating a drowning death or an Ida-related death.
Another person was killed outside Baton Rouge when a tree fell on a home, authorities reported.
Earlier Monday, Louisiana Governor John Bell Edwards warned that the death toll following Ida will “go up considerably.”
The high waters covered roadways, damaged buildings and left many people trapped inside their homes.
READ MORE: “Photos of Hurricane Ida’s Devastation and Flooding in Louisiana”
The airport said it expects all flights will be canceled Monday, but told passengers to check directly with their airlines for more information.
Storm surge inundation will continue Monday along the coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.
Additional flooding is likely in the Tennessee Valley, the Ohio Valley and areas in the Central and Southern Appalachians into the Mid-Atlantic through Wednesday.
Tornado warnings and heavy rainfall up to 8 inches are possible in some areas, according to the Weather Channel.
READ MORE: “Hurricane Ida Path: Downgraded Tropical Storm’s Winds, Rain Head for Over a Dozen States”
“The risk of serious injury and death doesn’t go down just because the storm has passed,” he told The Weather Channel.
Carbon monoxide posing is a major risk if people do not run their generators properly, Fugate said. He advises people to keep generators outside.
“Don’t run your generator in your home, your garage, your carport. Have it away from your home,” he said.
Additionally, he urges people impacted by the storm to take proper safety precautions amid the summer heat and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
“If you’re somewhere safe, stay home and stay inside,” Fugate said. “We don’t need to be adding trauma patients to already overloaded hospitals with COVID patience.”
After the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, this system of barriers, sector gates, floodwalls, floodgates and levees provide a veritable “wall” around East Jefferson, Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes, according to the Flood Protection Agency.
The $14.5 billion system was engineered to the 100-year level of risk reduction against tropical events and related rainfall and storm surges.
“There have been no issues with our pumps,” the agency said in a statement. “We will be inspecting the system today and assessing any damages as soon as conditions allow.”
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development shared images of major flooding on I-10 near the LaPlace exit.
There are about 5,000 members from the Louisiana National Guard and the rest are from Guard units in Mississippi, Alabama and Texas, the National Guard said in a statement.
The Louisiana National Guard has 195 high-water vehicles, 73 rescue boats and 34 helicopters ready to help search and rescue and evacuations.
Engineer work teams in three Louisiana parishes will also asses possibly compromised infrastructure and post-storm debris removal and road clearance if needed.
“Hurricane Ida packed a very powerful punch,” he said. “It did everything that was advertised.”
While Edwards said the state’s levees “performed extremely well,” but there was significant damage from wind, rain and storm surges that caused power and water outages and damage to homes and buildings.
He assured Louisiana residents that “thousands” of state and local safety officials are out with boats and helicopters to facilitate search and reuse operations.
“We will do everything we can to get to individuals who need help,” Edwards said.
He added that the state is in “life-saving mode” and rescue operations are the top priority right now.
“This is going to be a very long ordeal,” he said, referring to getting services restored and structures repaired.
“Lafourche Parish roads are currently unpassable and will be for some time,” the statement said.
Local officials ask that residents “wait for the all-clear before returning” and remind residents that the curfew remains in effect until officials can ensure roads are clear and safe for travel.
There are already several reports of downed trees impacting powerlines in Lincoln and Rankin counties.
NWS Jackson also forecasts up to 4-8 inches of rainfall, flash flooding and possible tornadoes as Tropical Storm Ida moves across the state through Tuesday.
A flash flood warning is in effect for Southern Rankin and Smith counties through 12:15, NWS Jackson reported.
A ship docked in Port Fourchon recorded maximum sustained winds of 149 mph and a wind gust of 172 mph Sunday.
On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, a Category 4 hurricane typically has sustained winds of about 130-156 mph.
Ida is tied for the fifth strongest hurricane to make landfall in U.S. history.
There are over 1,042,000 outages in Louisiana and almost 131,000 outages in Mississippi as of 7:30 a.m. Monday, according to PowerOutage.us.
This includes the Louisiana National Guard and local safety officials.
National Hurricane Centre downgrades Ida to tropical storm ‘Life-threatening flash flooding’ warnings issued for 19 parishes and cities At least one death related to Ida
Many people took to social media for assistance, posting their addresses in the hope that someone nearby could rescue them as their homes became rapidly submerged in water.
“God please send help to LaPlace, Louisiana. They need help,” one person tweeted.
Another said: “I’ve never been to Laplace, Louisiana, but my heart goes out them tonight. All I see on my TL (timeline) are requests for help. God, be with them.”
READ MORE: LaPlace Residents Beg For Help With Unforeseen Rising Waters
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The office did not identify the victim but we will bring you the latest as we hear it.
Follow Newsweek’s liveblog throughout Monday for all the latest.
