NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A fearsome Hurricane Ida has left scores of coastal Louisiana residents trapped by floodwaters and pleading to be rescued while making a shambles of the electrical grid across a wide swath of the state in the sweltering, late-summer heat.
One of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. mainland has now weakened into a tropical storm as it pushes inland over Mississippi with torrential rain and shrieking winds.
No major flooding was reported inside the flood control system that protects New Orleans, but with communications spotty and no power, the extent of the damage across the city was not immediately clear.
Tampa Electric announced it was sending crews to Louisiana to help restore power after Hurricane Ida. As of Sunday morning, per TECO, about 150 people left at dawn and are prepared to stay for two weeks.
Duke Energy said more than 150 Duke Energy and contract resources would also be responding on Sunday from across the state to help in Louisiana. Those resources include linemen, vegetation management crews and damage assessors.
