The remnants of Hurricane Ida, now a tropical depression, were moving across the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday evening and will hit the northeast Wednesday through early Thursday.
Portions of the Middle Tennessee Valley, Ohio Valley, central and southern Appalachians are expected to receive 3 to 6 inches of rain with isolated higher amounts through Wednesday morning.
The mid-Atlantic and southern New England is expected to receive 3-8 inches of rain Wednesday into Thursday.
"Significant and life-threatening flash flooding is possible from the Mid-Atlantic into southern New England, especially across highly urbanized metropolitan areas and areas of steep terrain," the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.
Bonnaroo, one of the biggest music festivals in America, announced Tuesday evening that they had to cancel this year in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
"We have done everything in our power to try to keep the show moving forward, but Mother Nature has dealt us a tremendous amount of rain over the past 24 hours, and we have run out of options to try to make the event happen safely and in a way that lives up to the Bonnaroo experience," the festival said on social media.
The four-day festival, which takes place across 700+ acres in Tennessee, was supposed to start Thursday.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a nighttime curfew on Tuesday in an effort to curb crime after Hurricane Ida left most of the city without power.
Police chief Shaun Ferguson said that authorities have already made our arrests for looting and he will urge the district attorney to prosecute those who are caught to the fullest extent of the law.
"We are still without power. We still have debris remaining in our streets and as the night falls, there are no streetlights," Ferguson said at a press conference on Tuesday. "It is totally unsafe, and there is absolutely no reason for anyone to be on the streets of New Orleans."
The curfew starts Tuesday night and will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Roughly 25,000 utility workers are currently trying to restore power for the more than one millions homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi that had their power knocked out be Hurricane Ida on Sunday.
Mayor Cantrell said that power should start being restored on Wednesday evening in New Orleans, but noted it won't immediately come back or everyone.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice declared a state of emergency Tuesday due to the threat of flash flooding posed by Ida, which is now a tropical depression.
“All West Virginians need to absolutely be ready for the potential impact Ida may bring to our state,” Gov. Justice said in a statement. “West Virginians should pay extra close attention to emergency officials and media outlets. And please: do not endanger yourselves, your loved ones, or our first responders by trying to drive through flood waters.”
Thunderstorms, gusty winds, 2-4 inches of rain, and even tornadoes are possibly as the storm passes through West Virginia on Tuesday night into Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Fred and Hurricane Henri have dropped several inches of rainfall on the state over the last couple of weeks, which has pried rivers for flooding.
“Gov. Justice has initially authorized State Active Duty status for up to 60 Guardsmen, and we are ready to activate as many as is needed should conditions deteriorate rapidly,” Lt. Col. Walter “Wally” Hatfield said Tuesday. “Our top priority is always the safety and survival of our fellow West Virginians, and we will do everything we can to meet any challenge Mother Nature might throw at us in the next 72 to 96 hours.”
As oil companies work to restart operations in the wake of Hurricane Ida, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Biden administration is taking steps to ensure that gas prices don't spike in the coming days and weeks.
Psaki said that the administration will extend an emergency declaration that offers more flexibility on how many hours trucker drivers can drive supplies that support the COVID-19 response, as well as gasoline and other types of fuel.
"This waiver should help reduce the risk of gasoline shortages or price increases stemming from the hurricane," Psaki said at a press conference Tuesday.
The EPA also approved emergency fuel waivers in Louisiana and Mississippi, the two hardest hit states, which will increase availability of gasoline.
Tracking firm GasBuddy noted on Monday that the national average has declined recently to $3.12 a gallon, but that downward trend could reverse in the wake of Hurricane Ida.
Patrick De Haan, an oil and refined products analyst for GasBuddy, said Tuesday afternoon that data shows 35.3% of gas stations in Baton Rouge were empty and 29.5% in New Orleans were empty.
Louisiana State University, the flagship university located in Baton Rouge, announced that it will close campus down through Labor Day as the state recovers from Hurricane Ida.
"In order to give our students and employees more time to recover from Hurricane Ida, LSU will be closed through Monday, Sept. 6, and will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 7." the school's Emergency Operations Center said in a notice to students and staff.
Pictures and video on social media showed fallen trees and other damage as some dormitories temporarily lost power.
{{#rendered}}The Louisiana National Guard took to the water, land, and air to rescue 359 residents and 55 pets this week in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
Nearly 5,000 Guardsmen were activated before the storm to assist in rescue and recovery, as well as 195 high-water vehicles, 73 rescue boats, and 34 helicopters.
Gov. Jon Bel Edward's office said that more than 2,200 evacuees were staying in 41 shelters on Tuesday, but that number will reside as more people are rescued.
“Saving lives is the number one priority,” the Governor said. “Those search and rescue efforts are going to continue all day, and quite frankly for as long as necessary.”
FEMA is also assisting the gulf states during their recovery, with 3,600 employees deployed to Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
The federal agency staged millions of meals and liters of water, as well as 35,700 tarps and roughly 200 generators in advance of the storm.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said that the damage he had seen in LaPlace and St. John the Baptist Parish is "just catastrophic."
The governor told reporters that "some of the heaviest rains that fell anywhere in the state of Louisiana fell on St. John the Baptist Parish" and that 80% of all of the rescues done in the state yesterday were there.
"So, we have a lot of work ahead of us. And, no one is under the illusion that this is going to be a short process," said Edwards.
The governor noted that while both additional law enforcement and the entire National Guard had been mobilized in the area, they were also there for basic security functions.
Again, Edwards urged Louisianans who had evacuated not to return home.
"What I'm trying to make sure people understand is, many of the life-supporting infrastructure elements are not present. They're not operating right now," he said.
Schools and businesses were closed on Tuesday, hospitals already packed with COVID-19 patients were "slammed," drinking water was scant and widespread power outages continued.
Two people in the state were killed in Hurricane Ida and the number is expected to rise, Edwards noted, because most people are injured or killed due to storm response.
"But, now is really the most dangerous time -- over the next week, couple of weeks. And so we're asking people to be patient, we're asking people to be careful and please be good neighbors," he said.
Two days after Hurricane Ida made landfall in Port Fourchon, Louisiana, communities impacted by the storm are starting to pick up the pieces.
With New Orleans and surrounding areas left without power -- and could be for weeks -- officials urged residents to stay inside come nightfall.
Crews worked to rescue hundreds of people trapped by major flooding on Monday and the storm was blamed for at least four deaths in the Bayou State and in Mississippi.
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport canceled all incoming and outgoing commercial flights for a third day.
Federal officials reported that -- amidst hot and humid temperatures -- approximately 441,000 people had no water service in 17 parishes and an additional 319,000 people were under boil-water advisories.
Streets were blocked with trees and utility poles and Gov. John Bel Edwards instructed those who evacuated not to return on Monday.
Ida, now a tropical depression, was reported moving across the Tennessee Valley late Tuesday morning.
Preliminary reports suggest Ida is the fifth-strongest storm ever to make landfall in the continental U.S., according to NASA Earth.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}Louisiana media outlets reported Tuesday that nine people in St. Tammany Parish were taken to the hospital overnight due to carbon monoxide poisoning from improper generator use.
According to NOLA.com , the conditions of the patients were not immediately available.
WDSU-TV reported that the St. Tammany Fire Protection District 1 responded to the incident
"Another person in the parish," the station said, "was taken to a hospital for a burn injury while they were refueling a generator."
Ida was blamed for at least four deaths in both the Bayou State and nearby Mississippi.
The Lousiana Department of Health wrote in tweets that the death of a man who drowned after attempting to drive through floodwaters in New Orleans was considered to be storm-related.
"His age is unknown at this time pending ID of the victim," the department wrote.
Another person was confirmed to be deceased in Louisiana after the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office received reports of a citizen "possibly injured from a fallen tree at a residence off of Highway 621 in Prairieville."
Preliminary reports suggest Ida is the fifth-strongest storm ever to make landfall in the continental U.S., according to NASA Earth.
Two people were killed and at least 10 others were injured Monday night after seven vehicles fell until a deep hole where a Mississippi highway collapsed.
Heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ida may have been the cause of the collapse, according to Mississippi Highway Patrol Cp. Cal Robertson.
“Some of these cars are stacked on top of each other,” he said, according to The Associated Press. A motorcycle was also involved.
A crane was brought to the site at Highway 26 -- west of Lucedale and approximately 60 miles northeast of Biloxi -- to lift the vehicles out of the 50 to 60-foot-long hole.
State troopers and emergency personnel found that both the east and westbound lanes collapsed, WDSU-TV reported.
The hole was measured to be around 20 to 30 feet deep.
The identities and conditions of the of those involved have not yet been released.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Tulane University announced in a series of tweets on Monday that beginning at 10 a.m. local time on Tuesday the school would evacuate all remaining students to Houston, Texas.
"Beginning tomorrow at 10AM, we will evacuate all remaining students (undergraduate & graduate; in-residence & off-campus) to Houston via bus," Tulane wrote. "All students should pack no more than 2 pieces of luggage, their computer, and valuables. Students will receive details this evening."
The university said it was "establishing a hub" in the city to provide food and lodging at Tulane's expense for students until they are able to get flights home.
"Emergency funds are available for students who need financial support. Please contact the office of the Dean of Students for more information," Tulane tweeted.
The university noted that -- following its fall break -- students would return to in-person classes on campus on Monday, October 11.
"Fall break, October 7- October 10, will allow our students, faculty, and staff time to return to the city and campus prior to class resuming," Tulane wrote.
{{#rendered}}Louisiana began clean-up on Monday following the destructive and deadly Hurricane Ida.
The Category 4 storm ravaged the region's power grid, leaving what Gov. John Bel Edwards said Monday was closer to two million people without power.
Edwards said Monday that there was no clear timeline for when power would be restored.
"I can’t tell you when the power is going to be restored. I can’t tell you when all the debris is going to be cleaned up and repairs made,” Edwards said. “But, what I can tell you is we are going to work hard every day to deliver as much assistance as we can.”
The governor said 25,000 utility workers were on the ground in the state to help out, with more on their way.
Still, power officials have warned that it could be weeks before electricity is restored in some areas.
Ida was blamed for at least four deaths in both the Bayou State and nearby Mississippi, where two people were killed Monday night when seven vehicles fell into a 20-foot-deep hole near Lucedale.
Torrential rainfall may have been the cause.
Hundreds of people were rescued by boat, high-water trucks and helicopters in Louisiana and crews planned to go door-to-door in areas most impacted by Ida.
In LaPlace, the storm tore roofs off homes and flooded subdivisions.
Some places were also facing shortages of drinking water and 18 water systems were out and 14 more were under boil-water advisories.
State and city officials urged evacuees not to try to come home.
“There are an awful lot of unknowns right now. There are certainly more questions than answers,” the governor said Monday. “I can’t tell you when power is going to be restored. I can’t tell you when all the debris is going to be cleaned up and repairs made and so forth.”
Ida, now a tropical depression, is projected to move northeastward.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
"Flood and Flash Flood Watches extend from the Gulf Coast Region across the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, central and southern Appalachians, into the northern Mid-Atlantic and southern New England," according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Considerable flash flooding is possible from the Lower Mississippi Valley through the Middle Tennessee Valley, as well as the Ohio Valley, Central/Southern Appalachians, and into the Mid-Atlantic.
"Widespread minor to isolated major riverine flooding is occurring or forecast from the Lower Mississippi Valley into far western Alabama," the NHC added. "Rivers will remain elevated into next week."
As of 10 p.m. local time Monday, Tropical Depression Ida was located about 80 miles north-northeast of Jackson, Mississippi, with maximum sustained winds near 35 mph — down from 105 mph late Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The storm was moving northeast at 10 mph.
"Ida will continue to turn northeast tonight and is forecast to track across the Middle Tennessee Valley, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic through Wednesday," according to the NHC.
{{#rendered}}An anticipated storm team of more than 20,000 people has started to assess the damage and destruction caused by Ida across southeast Louisiana and New Orleans.
With Ida having moved out of the area, Entergy said it is now conducting inspections to get a clearer picture of what's needed to repair the destruction.
The full assessment of the damage could take several days, because many areas are still inaccessible by roadways.
In a news release, Entergy said that customers located in the direct path of a storm as intense as Ida could experience outages for more than three weeks, though 90% of customers will have their power restored sooner.
Still, customers located in the hardest hit areas should plan for the possibility of extended outages.
“This will be a marathon, not a sprint,” said Deanna Rodriguez, Entergy New Orleans president and CEO. “We’re working as safely and quickly as we can, but recovery will vary depending on the damage incurred and its location. We must all be prepared for the recovery to take some time."
About 800 people have been rescued in Louisiana after extreme flooding due to Ida, according to officials with St. John the Baptist Parish on Monday.
“This is one of the worst natural disasters I've ever seen in St. John,” Parish President Jaclyn Hotard said.
Hotard said there have been no reported storm-related fatalities in St. John the Baptist Parish "only by the grace of God."
Officials said crews will continue to identify assessable areas of the Parish that are assessable and will continue to remove obstructions from roadways “so residents can do damage assessments on their properties.”
“Hotard continues to survey the damage daily and has activated the debris removal services contract to begin debris pick up,” officials added.
There are 18,334 customers in the parish currently without power. Entergy is assessing the damage and the estimated time of restoration is about 3-4 weeks.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards' office said that given the level of destruction from Hurricane Ida the state will likely have "many more confirmed fatalities.”
The storm has been blamed for at least two deaths — a motorist who drowned in New Orleans and a person hit by a falling tree outside Baton Rouge.
“There are certainly more questions than answers. I can’t tell you when the power is going to be restored. I can’t tell you when all the debris is going to be cleaned up and repairs made,” Edwards told a news conference, according to the AP. “But what I can tell you is we are going to work hard every day to deliver as much assistance as we can.”
{{#rendered}}Coverage for this event has ended.