AP News: “Hurricane Ida traps Louisianans, shatters the power grid”

As one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit the U.S. mainland, Hurricane Ida left more than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi without power and a death toll that has now risen to 4 individuals as it passed through on Sunday. Officials warn that restoring the power grid could take weeks due to the extensive damage which will have its own consequences as Louisiana is currently in the dog days of summer. Thousands of residents have been evacuated into shelters which raises concerns about the spread of COVID as the state struggles to move people into hotels to maintain social distancing. To read more on Ida and to access power outages map, click here.