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The Associated Press has reported that 671 people have been rescued from Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Ida struck the southeast last weekend. In its destructive path, Ida left more than one million people without power and at least one person dead. Also, several victims of the hurricane were left without shelter or food.
“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," Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said during a press conference on Monday.
“But what I can tell you is we are going to work hard every day to deliver as much assistance as we can.”
To help curb these efforts, the White House has deployed 3,600 FEMA employees, delivered 3.4 million meals and distributed more than one million liters of water. President Joe Biden met with Edwards virtually on Monday to discuss their response efforts moving forward.
"President Biden highlighted how this will be a whole-of-government and whole-of-community response and recovery effort, and we are closely coordinating with State and local officials every step of the way. He talked about how the Administration is supporting efforts to get electricity and transmission lines back up and running, and how there are more than 25,000 line and tree crews from at least 30 States en route to help local utilities begin restoration work," a meeting recap from the White House reads.
"The President announced that he has asked the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security to immediately make available satellite imagery, and he asked the Federal Aviation Administration to work with Louisiana and Mississippi to authorize the use of surveillance drones to help State and local governments assess the damage from Hurricane Ida."
The road to recovery will not be easy as those without power will fight through high temperatures in the coming days. As a result, some Louisiana residents have already made the decision to leave.
“When I rebuild this I’m out of here. I’m done with Louisiana,” lifelong Louisiana resident Fred Carmouche told WWLTV.
“We got to go somewhere. Can’t stay in this heat," New Orleans resident Stephanie Blaise added.
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