Louisiana senator describes 'terrible damage' from Ida
Senator Bill Cassidy joins 'Fox & Friends' from Baton Rouge after Hurricane Ida devastated the state.
Authorities in New Orleans said there have been "numerous" reports of looting as the city grapples with the aftermath of Ida, which swept through the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 hurricane this weekend, causing massive power outages before weakening.
The New Orleans Police Department has deployed anti-looting teams across the city in an effort to protect property, it said. Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said Monday that several arrests related to the plundering have been made without elaborating further.
"This will not be tolerated," he told reporters. "We have made those arrests. This is a state felony and we will be booking you accordingly.
"This is not the time to take opportunities of our vulnerable population right now. We all are vulnerable at this point in time," he added.
He said the city will work with the National Guard to implement measures to prevent looting and other destructive behavior as the city begins the recovery process.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that while there was looting, it was not widespread before sending a stern message to anyone engaging in criminal behavior.
"My directive has been very clear: ‘Lock ’em up.’ We will not tolerate it, and we have not tolerated it," she said. "So we have apprehended those individuals associated with the looting that we have been able to identify."
Several images were posted online of stores reportedly ransacked and trashed.
One Twitter user posted a video of a drone hovering over what is reportedly the St. Claude Fresh Market, which was heavily damaged from a fire hours earlier. As one person enters the burned-out structure, he walks out after spotting the aircraft.
Ferguson asked residents to remain indoors unless it is to remove debris or evacuate the city. The police department is rotating officers on 12-hour shifts, he said.
The New Orleans Police Department told Fox News it does not have a precise number of arrests, but a number of warrants are outstanding.
"We will continue our anti-looting patrols in cooperation with the Louisiana National Guard," police spokesman Gary Sheets said. "We ask our citizens to stay indoors after dark. It is unsafe. There are no street lights and a large amount of storm debris on the streets."
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Ida was downgraded to a tropical depression by Monday evening but left more than a million customers without power and at least one person dead. On Monday morning, officials asked for residents who fled the city to hold off on their return because the 911 call centers were not operable.
By Monday afternoon, the police department said 911 emergency services had been fully restored.
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