Ida now a tropical depression after leaving 1 dead, more than a million without power: LIVE UPDATES

The CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) said late Monday that more than 25,000 workers from at least 32 states and the District of Columbia are mobilized to help restore power outages in Southern Louisiana and parts of Mississippi as a result of Hurricane Ida.

“Entities impacted by Hurricane Ida—including investor-owned electric companies, electric cooperatives, and public power utilities—and their mutual assistance partners are committed to restoring power safely and as quickly as possible, ESCC said in a statement.  

“While damage assessments continue, crews are working to restore service in areas where it is safe to do so. Road closures, flooding, and other accessibility challenges are impacting the ability of crews to reach some areas.

”ESCC serves as the principal liaison between the federal government and the electric power industry on efforts to prepare for, and respond to, national-level disasters or threats to critical infrastructure. 

Several tornadoes have broken out as a result of Ida, including a suspected twister in Saraland, Alabama, that ripped part of the roof off a mote land flipped an 18-wheeler, injuring the driver, according to the National Weather Service. 

The National Hurricane Center said Ida has weakened to a tropical depression.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph as it moved over Mississippi.

Forecasters warned that the threat of heavy rainfall and flash flooding continued across the southeast, and would continue moving northeast.

President Biden on Monday said more than 5,000 National Guard members have been activated from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas to support search and recovery efforts. He said FEMA has prepositioned “millions” of meals and liters of water and other resources in the immediate area.  

“I've asked the Federal Aviation Administration to work today with Louisiana and Mississippi electric companies to authorize the use of surveillance drones to assess items, damage to energy infrastructure while ensuring those flights do not disrupt aerial search and rescue operations. And I've also asked the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to immediately make available any satellite imagery that can assist in assessing the damage in your states and cities.” 

Tropical Storm Ida was located over Mississippi about 20 miles west-southwest of Jackson at 1 p.m. CT, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is moving northward near 9 mph and is forecast to pass over northeastern Mississippi tonight, across the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday and near the central Appalachians on Wednesday.

Ida's maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph with higher gusts and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles from the center.

The threat of heavy rainfall and flash flooding has been spreading over portions of Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.

"A few tornadoes" are also possible through Monday night mainly across southeast Mississippi, southern Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.

A Storm Surge Warning and Tropical Storm Warning continues from the mouth of the Pearl River to the Alabama-Florida state line.

Additional weakening is forecast during the next day or so, and Ida is expected to become a tropical depression by this afternoon.

In a news conference on Monday afternoon, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell told reporters that the city's "communications have been compromised."

"But, one thing that we also recognize is that we still have the ability to send text messages. AT&T and Entergy are doing everything that they can," she added.

Cantrell said that her office had been in direct contact with the organizations and note that they have boots on the ground.

In addition, the mayor said that it did not appear that the city needs a post-disaster evacuation at this time.

"As I mentioned, our people in our city -- our residents -- need to stay put. Again, power and communication are critical issues," she state.

"I'm proud of our people," Cantrell said later.

NOLA Ready, the city's emergency preparedness campaign managed by the Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness, tweeted Monday afternoon that there is a "complete lack of services available in #NOLA right now."

"If you have evacuated out of #NOLA, we request that you DO NOT RETURN until further notice," the agency wrote in an earlier Twitter post. "There is widespread debris, power remains out, and emergency services are working to respond to those still in the city. We will let you know when it is safe to come home."

Given the level of destruction wrought by Hurricane Ida, Louisiana is "going to have many more confirmed fatalities," Christina Stephens, a spokesperson for Gov. John Bel Edwards, said Monday.

The governor’s office explained damage to the power grid appeared “catastrophic.” Officials warned it could take weeks for power to be fully restored.

“For the most part, all of our levees performed extremely well -- especially the federal levees -- but at the end of the day, the storm surge, the rain, the wind all had devastating impacts,” the governor explained. “We have tremendous damage to homes and to businesses.”

More than 2,200 evacuees were staying in 41 shelters as of Monday morning, a number expected to rise as people were rescued or escaped flooded homes.

Stephens said Louisiana will work to move residents to hotels as soon as possible so that they can keep their distance from one another.

“This is a COVID nightmare,” she said. “We do anticipate that we could see some COVID spikes related to this.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Speaking in a late-night address posted to Twitter, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell instructed residents to remain sheltering in place and New Orleans Police Chief Shawn Ferguson urged the city to "be vigilant."

“It’s unsafe,” Cantrell said.

"Without power, that creates opportunity for some, and we will not tolerate that," Ferguson added. "We will implement our anti-looting deployment to ensure the safety of our citizens and ensure the safety of our citizens' property."

"And as the mayor also stated, because it is dark, because we are without power, we need to be vigilant," he added, noting that people who travel in an area and put themselves in danger are ultimately putting New Orleans public safety members in danger.

Messaging from the police department and New Orleans officials was similar on Monday morning.

"Now is not the time to leave your home," NOPD tweeted. "There is no power. Trees, limbs, and lines are down everywhere. It is not safe to leave your home right now. Please remain sheltered in place."

Rescue workers set out in hundreds of boats and helicopters to reach Louisianans trapped by floodwaters on Monday.

The heroic effort came as utility crews mobilized after then-Hurricane Ida knocked out a large portion of the state's electrical grid on Sunday.

One of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. mainland, Ida weakened into a tropical storm and the National Hurricane Center reported late Monday morning that it was located inland over southwestern Mississippi.

Authorities warned residents not to leave their homes.

"Now is not the time to leave your home. There is no power. Trees, limbs, and lines are down everywhere. It is not safe to leave your home right now," the New Orleans Police Department tweeted. "Please remain sheltered in place."

Ida was blamed for at least one death.

The Louisiana National Guard reported it had activated 4,900 Guard personnel and lined up 195 high-water vehicles, 73 rescue boats and 34 helicopters.

Local and state agencies said they were adding hundreds of more.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

In a Monday morning Twitter update, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell wrote that "power remains out," "911 remains out," there are "downed trees [and] power lines in roads and that emergency personnel are assessing damage from Hurricane Ida and responding to "incidents."

"Although severe weather has passed, continue to stay indoors, off roads & avoid hazards!" she urged.

Tropical Storm Ida is moving northward over southwestern Mississippi, the National Hurricane Center reported Monday.

Dangerous storm surge and flash flooding threats are reportedly continuing over portions of southeastern Louisiana, southern Mississippi and southern Alabama and a Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Grand Isle, La. to the Alabama-Florida state line, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metro New Orleans.

The agency also warned of a "few tornadoes" through Monday evening, "mainly across southeast Mississippi, southwest Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle."

At 7 a.m. local time, Ida was located by NOAA Doppler weather radars, satellite data and surface observations inland over Mississippi approximately 65 miles south-southwest of Jackson.

Ida's maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 45 mph, with higher gusts.

Moving northward near 8 mph, the storm is forecast to head through the Magnolia State and across the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday.

Ida made landfall as a Category 4 storm on Sunday afternoon in Port Fourchon, Louisiana.

"As the sun comes out this morning, please remain where you are," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards tweeted Monday. "#Ida has left many hazards across Louisiana including flooded roadways, debris & downed powerlines. Follow the instructions of local officials & continue to be safe."

"At first light, Troopers began damage and road assessments. Many routes are blocked and dangerous road conditions exist," the Louisiana State Police tweeted. "Avoid all unnecessary travel and remain tuned to local emergency information. Utilize http://511la.org for road conditions."

Images of Hurricane Ida's destruction in Louisiana on Monday were largely shrouded in darkness as power outages continued in the city of New Orleans and other parishes.

Officials promised to begin rescue efforts as the sun rose on Monday, after levees failed or were overtopped south of New Orleans.

More than a million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi remained without power on Monday, according to PowerOutage.US and utility company Entergy reported that the only power in New Orleans was coming from generators.

NOLA.com reported Monday that the 911 system was not working in Orleans and Jefferson parishes.

The first death from the monumental storm was reported by the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office.

"Shortly after 8:30 p.m. deputies received reports of a citizen possibly injured from a fallen tree at a residence off of Highway 621 in Prairieville. Deputies arrived on scene and confirmed that the victim is now deceased," they wrote in a Facebook post.

On Monday, the sheriff's office said there were 250 road closures due to downed trees or power lines.

In a tweet, the National Weather Service warned that even though winds and rain may have subsided, hazards still remain in the impacted areas.

They instructed residents take care near damaged buildings, be wary of power lines and avoid floodwaters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The National Hurricane Center warned that danger from Tropical Storm Ida would continue on Monday.

In an early morning update, the agency wrote that the storm -- then located about 95 miles south-southwest of Jackson, Mississippi -- would still bring dangerous storm surge, damaging winds and flash flooding to the Magnolia State and southeastern Louisiana.

There was also the possibility for a few tornadoes mainly across southeast Mississippi, southwest Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.

Ida is projected to move northeastward and into the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday.

The storm's maximum sustained winds have decreased near 60 mph, with higher gusts.

Rainfall and storm surge, the hurricane center noted, has "resulted in catastrophic impacts along the southeast coast of Louisiana with life threatening flash flooding and significant riverine flooding continuing farther inland."

Southern Louisiana hospitals, already packed with coronavirus patients, were hit by a Category 4 Hurricane Ida on Sunday.

Lafourche Parish's Lady of the Sea General Hospital reported extensive damage to the facility's roof and the hospital's phone system was down.

“All patients and staff are fine at this time without injury; although, our hospital has sustained significant damage,” hospital CEO Karen Collins said in a message relayed via Facebook.

In an e-mail to The Associated Press, state health department spokeswoman Aly Neel said the hospital would evacuate their patients "once it is safe to do so."

About an hour's drive away, Thibodaux Regional Medical Center reported a partial generator failure from the storm.

While a spokesperson for the governor said the medical center had "not lost all critical power," some patients were reportedly moved to another part of the hospital.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told The Associated Press on Sunday that more than 2,400 COVID-19 patients are in Louisiana hospitals.

Before Ida hit, he explained that evacuating the hospital was not an option because there weren't other places to send them to.

Dr. Jeff Elder, medical director for emergency management at LCMC Health, said the hospitals in the system have generator backup power and he noted that communication is between various levels of government and hospitals in the hospital system have gotten much better since Hurricane Katrina hit.

"We’ve learned a lot since 2005,” he said.

More than one million customers were left without power due to Hurricane Ida and the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office reported the first death related to the storm on Sunday night.

"Shortly after 8:30 p.m. deputies received reports of a citizen possibly injured from a fallen tree at a residence off of Highway 621 in Prairieville. Deputies arrived on scene and confirmed that the victim is now deceased," the department wrote in a Facebook post.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ida, the powerful hurricane that was downgraded to a tropical storm early Monday, continued to pound Louisiana after leaving more than a million customers without power, the entire city of New Orleans in the dark and at least one person dead.

As of 4 a.m. local time, Ida was located about 95 miles south-southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph -- down from 105 mph late Sunday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). The storm was moving north at 8 mph. 

A hurricane warning has been replaced with a tropical storm warning from Grand Isle, Louisiana, to the Mouth of the Pearl River as well as Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and metropolitan New Orleans.

Dangerous storm surge, damaging winds, and flash flooding are still continuing over portions of southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi., according to the NHC. 

As of early Monday, more than one million customers were without power in Louisiana, according to PowerOutage.US, which tracks nationwide outages. More than 43,000 customers also didn't have power in Mississippi.

On Sunday evening, the entire city of New Orleans was without power, according to city officials. Entergy New Orleans, the city's power supplier, said Ida’s intensity has caused catastrophic damage in its path, including a "load imbalance to the company’s transmission and generation."

The first death related to Ida was reported in Prairieville, Louisiana, according to the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office. The unidentified person was found dead following reports of a fallen tree on a home.

"Tonight, we have confirmed at least one death and sadly, we know there will be others. Thousands of our people are without power and there is untold damage to property across the impacted parishes," Gov. John Bel Edwards wrote in a statement late Sunday. 

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Ida was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

As of 4 a.m. CDT, Ida was located about 95 miles south-southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph -- down from 105 mph late Sunday, according to the NHC. The storm was moving north at 8 mph.

"Dangerous storm surge, damaging winds, and flash flooding continue over portions of southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi," the NHC added.

Winds from Hurricane Ida ripped off a portion of the roof at Lady of the Sea General Hospital in Galliano, Louisiana, on Sunday.

A video posted to Twitter appeared to show a large section of the roof pealing off. No injuries were reported by authorities.

WARNING: GRAPHIC LANGUAGE

Another video appeared to show part of a roof being torn off by winds at Ochsner health’s main campus.

The threat of a few tornadoes will continue Monday as Hurricane Ida begins to curve to the east, according to NWS New Orleans.

"Portions of southeast Louisiana, southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the western Florida Panhandle will be affected." NWS New Orleans tweeted.

Hurricane Ida was downgraded again to a Category 1 storm early Monday.

As of 1 a.m. CDT, Ida was located about 20 miles south-southwest of Greensburg, Louisiana, with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph -- down from 105 mph late Sunday, according to the NHC.

Ida had been downgraded to a Category 2 Hurricane late Sunday after making landfall on the coast of Louisiana earlier in the day as a powerful Category 4 storm.

A Hurricane Warning is still in effect for Morgan City, Louisiana, to the mouth of the Pearl River, as well as Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas, and Metropolitan New Orleans.

Dangerous storm surge, damaging winds, and flash flooding are continuing over portions of southeastern Louisiana, the NHC added.