Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said Monday that he fears the death toll "will
rise considerably throughout the day
" from the devastating passage of Hurricane Ida.
More than a million people are still without power in that state and in Mississippi, after the cyclone knocked out the power supply of New Orleans.
The storm is now moving northwestward, weakened as a depression but at risk of floods and tornadoes also in Mississippi and Alabama.
For now, the hurricane is blamed for the death of a person struck by a falling tree on the outskirts of the city of Baton Rouge, but with many impassable roads and mobile phone service cut off in some places, the full extent of its catastrophe. it is unknown.
On Sunday night, dozens of residents of the Louisiana coast were trapped by the waters and begging for help.
The hurricane "
came and did everything that was advertised, unfortunately
," Edwards said.
[Ida vs. Katrina: these are the differences in their level of destruction]
A group of people cross an intersection in New Orleans, Louisiana, as Hurricane Ida hits the city on August 29, 2021.Brandon Bell / Getty Images
Hundreds of boats and helicopters
are now involved in rescuing people trapped by the waters, while utility crews try to restore power lines and communications.
Helicopters are inspecting the damage because it will take "many days" to reach the affected coastal areas by land, the governor said.
President Joe Biden approved the state's request for a major federal disaster declaration.
The storm made landfall on Sunday noon,
the same day as Hurricane Katrina
that swept through New Orleans 16 years ago.
Its 150-mile-per-hour (230-kilometer-per-hour) winds equaled the mark for the fifth-strongest hurricane to ever hit the country's mainland.
On August 29, 2005, the protective levee system that protects the city failed and the city suffered floods in which more than 1,800 people died.
On this occasion, the water control system built after that storm seems to have resisted, although there are hundreds of people at risk due to the threat of a dam overflowing.
[Despite the fragility of their houses in the face of Hurricane Ida, these Hispanics in decided not to evacuate]
More than a million people without electricity
The entire city of New Orleans was left without power on Sunday evening when the hurricane made landfall.
The storm died down shortly before dawn, and people began to walk through the neighborhoods with flashlights, dodging downed utility poles, pieces of roof and branches.
[This trip to the eye of Hurricane Ida shows the power of its winds]
Mississippi has almost 100,000 power outages, according to the specialized website Poweroutage.us.
A Hispanic family faced Hurricane Ida to meet their immigration appointment
Aug. 30, 202103: 58
"I had a long, miserable night," Chris Atkins recounted.
The side of his home collapsed into a neighbor's house during the hurricane.
"I was lucky it didn't all fall in. It would have killed us," he said.
Four Louisiana hospitals were damaged
and 39 medical facilities were running on generator power, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
Hurricane Ida damage to a store in New Orleans, Louisiana.REUTERS
The governor warned that rescue teams could not immediately help everyone affected.
Edwards told the public to prepare for a recovery process that could take weeks.
"Many people are going to be tested in ways that we can only imagine today," he told a news conference Sunday.
Where does the destructive power of hurricanes come from?
Our meteorologist explains it with the help of augmented reality
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Although the storm's winds have weakened, the greatest danger remains from the water, both from storm surge and heavy rain, especially now that
its travel speed has slowed to 8 miles per hour.
This causes the rains to fall on the same area for a longer time, which increases the chances of water accumulation.
Despite the fragility of their homes in the face of Hurricane Ida, these Hispanics in Louisiana decided not to evacuate
Aug. 29, 202101: 47
[Dos and don'ts during and after a hurricane]
Ida is the third hurricane to hit this state in the last year.
Hurricane Laura hit the state with category four on August 27, 2020, while Hurricane Zeta made landfall there on October 28, 2020 with category three.
With information from The Associated Press, MSNBC and NBC News.