The entire city of New Orleans in Louisiana was plunged into near-total darkness after power went out in the city due to Hurricane Ida, which it is feared may become one of the strongest storms to hit the state since the 1850s.
Ida, which has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 115mph (193kph), has caused a citywide blackout in New Orleans, with residents now having to rely on generators for power.
Eerie footage from a high-rise in downtown New Orleans posted by Washington Post National Correspondent Tim Craig shows dim lights flickering in some of the windows.
The City of New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness issued an alert around 7pm on Sunday, stating that the outage was due to “catastrophic transmission damage.”
As of Sunday evening, some 742,000 customers were left without power in the state.
Meanwhile, the first fatality was reported in the state about 8:30pm on Sunday. The victim is believed to have been killed by a falling tree in Prairieville, south of Baton Rouge, Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office reported.
It's unclear when the power supply will be restored. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards told the Associated Press on Sunday that the hurricane is expected to be “much stronger than we usually see.”
Also on rt.com WATCH Hurricane Ida make landfall on Louisiana coast with 150mph winds and devastating surgeIda made its landfall on the Gulf Coast around midday on Sunday as a category 4 hurricane, lashing the state with winds of 150mph (240kph). About two hours later, the hurricane made its second landfall southwest of Galliano.
The storm has already wrought havoc, knocking down trees and turning streets into rivers as water surged in coastal areas.
Residents were advised to evacuate several days before the storm hit. Those who did not manage to flee the state by Sunday were urged to shelter in place for 24 hours. With Edwards warning that Ida is on course to become one of Lousina’s worst hurricanes since the 1850s, parallels have been drawn between the current storm and the devastating Hurricane Katrina, which left catastrophic damage in its wake, killing more than 1,800 people in New Orleans and surrounding areas in 2005.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!