Limited resources in Southeastern Louisiana after Ida
Good evening. The death toll from Hurricane Ida rose to at least four after a highway collapsed in Mississippi, and flooding remained a threat Tuesday as remnants of the monster storm swept across the Southeast. Two deaths have been confirmed in Louisiana, including a person hit by a falling tree outside Baton Rouge and a driver who drowned in New Orleans.
In Terrebonne Parish, officials are warning residents about the risks of returning at this time. There are no shelters, no electricity, no medical services, and very limited resources for food, gasoline and supplies, according to officials.
Here's what you should know:
Curfew remains in effect in Thibodaux, food and supplies available
Thibodaux's curfew will remain in place from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. until further notice, Thibodaux Police said. The curfew will be strictly enforced.
Checkpoints will be set up and residents will be asked to show their IDs to enter, officials said.
Louisiana desperate for gasoline, diesel to fuel recovery effort
Gov. John Bel Edwards said the state needs gasoline and diesel to fuel the Hurricane Ida recovery effort in southeastern Louisiana, where water systems and the power grids also remain compromised.
"We need bulk fuel to be brought in before refineries come back on their own," Edwards said, noting two-thirds of the state's considerable refining capacity is down. "The state of Louisiana provides fuel for rest of country, and now it's time for rest of country to give up a little of their fuel and send it back to Louisiana."
SLECA says it will be 'weeks if not longer' for power to be restored
The South Louisiana Electrical Cooperative Association said Wednesday it is launching its largest power restoration effort in its 83-year history.
About 19,191 customers were without electricity as of 9 p.m. Tuesday, SLECA officials said.
The damage inflicted by the Category 4 storm is “catastrophic,” the company said. A lot of the most serious damage occurred in remote and hard-to-reach areas that require specialized equipment.
400 cellular towers back online, 1,000 still down in Louisiana
Nearly 400 cellular sites in southeastern Louisiana were back online Tuesday morning, though more than a third of cell sites in affected parishes remain down, according to a report from the Federal Communications Commission.
Around 1,051 cell sites were down across the region, leaving large swaths of the state with spotty cellular coverage. On Monday, more than half of the area's cell towers were offline, primarily due to power outages, including all of Assumption and Terrebonne parishes and nearly all of Lafourche Parish.
As of Tuesday at 11 a.m., all of Terrebonne Parish's cellular sites remained offline, as did all but one site in Assumption Parish. Lafourche Parish, where Hurricane Ida made landfall Sunday, had four sites online.
Terrebonne, Lafourche residents encouraged to apply for FEMA aid
Those who have homeowners or renters insurance are being asked to file a claim as soon as possible. If you don’t have insurance or are underinsured, you could still be eligible for federal assistance, officials said.
FACT CHECK: No, FEMA is not paying for hotels for Hurricane Ida evacuees, unless you qualify
The fastest and easiest way to apply is by visiting disasterassistance.gov/. Another option is to call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone lines operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
To learn more about what information you'll need to apply, what aid is available, how businesses can apply for aid, and loans for homeowners, see our full article here.
For the latest information visit fema.gov/disaster/4611. Follow the FEMA Region 6 Twitter account and Facebook account.
SBA offering loans to help businesses, residents impacted by storm
The U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to Louisiana businesses and residents impacted by Hurricane Ida, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced.
The loans are part of the relief made available through the major disaster declaration, which was requested by Gov. Edwards and approved by President Joe Biden. The declaration opens the door for a slew of federal resources.
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