The Guardian is providing some pretty good updates on the situation.
Looks like all of New Orleans is now without power.
The Guardian is indeed providing excellent coverage, to the extent that communication is available. This YouTube video that they provided, from Port Fourchon, Louisiana, is very short but gives an idea of the power of this storm.
There are flash flood warnings being issued all over the place. I used to live in one of the cities whose residents are being warned to move to higher ground quickly.
I’m seeing the warnings on twitter, but I wonder how the warnings are reaching people on the ground there? I hope they evacuated.
A highway collapse in Mississippi possibly caused by rains from Ida has resulted in two deaths and a numerous injuries:
Overall so far there have been many fewer fatalities than I expected (4 is the latest number):
But it wouldn’t surprise me if there might be hundreds of nursing home deaths due to heat (highs in the 90s, high humidity, no air conditioning because the electricity is out) in the next couple weeks as happened in Florida because of Irma.
Yes. Family’s safe, no home damage. Lots of small aggravations.
Weirdly more people have died in the New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania area (at least 15) than in the South (6) due to Ida:
Over 900,000 still without electricity in Lousiania and about 200,000 without electricity in the Northeast.
Big increase in number of reported deaths:
Since I posted earlier, I will report that we weathered the storm quite well. Power came back on at our house today. There was enough wind damage to our roof that we will need a new roof, but not enough damage to cause immediate leaks. I stayed home and watched the trees start moving in circles as the closed circulation wind came through-not a tornado but in the process of building one. In general, except for the widespread loss of power, it wasn’t too bad for most of us. Some neighborhoods flooded badly, but nothing like Katrina.
So far, anyway.
My sister and her BFF have been in NYC the past few days. They’re doing fine.
I have a friend who fled to Alabama a few days prior. His place in Treme seems to be fine according to reports from neighbors who stayed. Not sure when he’ll be able to go back.
I drove to the NO airport on Sunday. It was sobering to see how the damage increased as I headed west. Things are good where I am (40 miles east of NO in Slidell), on the south shore there are more trees down, in NO East there are damaged buildings, it is quiet in NO, and west of NO, about 50 miles closer to the eye, things are pretty bad. Lots of trees down, siding peeled off buildings etc. Power was out. Getting into the airport off the interstate without traffic lights was a challenge. The NO airport terminal was just built a couple of years ago. All the landscaping is new. Every one of the new trees planted along the access roads have been neatly pulled out of the ground. Must have been 20 small trees lying on their sides all pointed in the same direction.
Ida was mostly a wind event. Actually kind of rare for a hurricane. As others have pointed out, most damage from a hurricane comes from flooding not the wind. Not this time. Of course there was a lot of flooding, but not like most storms.
60 miles made a big difference in the effects of the storm.
There are still 300,000 customers without electricity.
I read that Grand Isle has been nearly wiped off the map, which would be sad. It was one of the first places my parents took me to when we moved to Louisiana as a kid. Grande Isle, Cocodrie, and the Holidome in Houma.