Ed. Note: We have moved our live coverage and updates to a new article to prevent loading issues. To get the latest updates and to watch our live coverage of Hurricane Ida's aftermath, click here:
We're going to be updating Hurricane Ida recovery all day on WWL-TV. We have crews headed out to all areas affected by the storm. However, there is still limited ability to transmit live out of the hardest-hit areas due to a lack of cell towers. We will have information from all of those areas though.
HURRICANE IDA LATEST UPDATES
10:45 PM How will Entergy get power back? They have a plan.
10:23 PM St. Charles Parish 3 Days later. Our Danny Monteverde was there to see how things are going.
9:45 PM Parish President Guy McInnis celebrates lights starting to come on in 'Da Parish.
9:30 PM Video from some of the hardest hit areas - See videos
9 PM Power restored on Rampart St. and parts of French Quarter, part of Orleans CBD, Part of St. Bernard Parish. Also power restored in several areas of St. Tammany
7:53 PM Water slowly returning to St. John Parish. Boil Water Advisory parish-wide.
7:50 PM St. John Parish - Every way to get power into the parish was damaged, power will be out for some time.
7:30 PM Residents with damage are encouraged to register for aid with FEMA.
There are three ways to apply for assistance:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
- Call 1-800-621-3362 or TTY 1-200-462-7585
- Download FEMA App from the Apple or Google Play stores
6:30 PM
St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell reports that every building in the parish took some amount of damage from Hurricane Ida. Two-thirds of the refineries went down.
6 PM
Waste Management will resume limited services for commercial and roll-off customers starting Thursday, Sept. 2.
5:06 PM LSU will hold several additional days of classes to make up for classes canceled because of Hurricane Ida.
The university said five make-up days will be necessary to ensure Louisiana reaches its minimum required number of class days. Those are scheduled for Sept. 25, Oct. 9, Oct. 21, Oct. 22, and Oct. 30.
5 PM From Armstrong Airport via Twitter: All airlines cancelled flights Thursday except for potential limited Delta flights. Click the link for the latest on cancellations/airport operations. Always check with your airline directly before coming to the airport. #HurricaneIda
4:50 PM Here is how Entergy plans to restore power, even with the transmitter in the river.
4:45 PM Power update. When will yours be back on?
4:03 PM Here is a list of places to get a meal or cool off in New Orleans until 6 pm
Free meals are available from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. today at the following locations:
- Treme Rec Center (900 North Villere St.)
- Cut Off Rec Center (6600 Belgrade St.)
- Gernon Brown Rec Center (1001 Harrison Ave.)
- Milne Rec Center (5420 Franklin Ave.)
- Stallings St. Claude Rec Center (4300 St Claude Ave.)
- John P Lyons Rec Center (624 Louisiana Ave.)
- Joe W Brown Rec Center (5601 Read Blvd.)
- Rosenwald Rec Center (1120 South Broad Ave.)
From 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, cooling stations are available at these locations through use of air-conditioned RTA buses. Also, charging stations are available for citizens to charge their cell phones.
Additionally, the Louisiana National Guard is holding drive-thru water and MRE distribution events through 6 p.m. today at the following locations. Additional locations will be announced on Sept. 2:
- Joe Brown Park (5745 Read Blvd).
- Mahalia Jackson Theater (1451 Basin St.)
3:30 PM
Gov. Edwards says the Blue Roof program has commenced in Louisiana.
"It's about getting as many houses into livable condition as possible."
Everybody in a parish that sustained hurricane-force winds who has roof damage is eligible. To sign up, go to blueroof.us or call 888-roof-blu.
3:10 PM
Gov. John Bel Edwards says it is a miracle that there are only two confirmed fatalities so far from Hurricane Ida.
He says he is currently concerned with the number of hospitals running on generators, which are always at risk of giving out.
3:05 PM
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng says she is "heartbroken" looking at the "total devastation" in Jefferson Parish. She said some places, seen from the air, look like a pile of matchsticks in the hardest-hit areas.
"Today, we are a broken community. It won't always be that way. We don't have electricity, we don't have communication, we don't have gas," she said.
2:50 PM
Gov. Edwards' press conference giving an update on the state's Hurricane Ida response has been delayed for an unknown reason. The conference was scheduled to begin at 2:30 PM but has not happened yet.
2:35 PM
The Lake Village subdivision in Slidell has power again. Residents report that grocery stores nearby are also operational with AC and lights.
2:30 PM
In need of a shelter? Text LASHELTER to 898211 for more info on the two state shelters in Alexandria and Baton Rouge.
2:15 PM
FEMA has reportedly made it to the Raceland area, bringing much-needed relief to an area that took one of the hardest hits from Hurricane Ida.
More details about the situation in Raceland and across the rest of lower Lafourche Parish will likely be coming soon.
2:10 PM
1:50 PM
In a White House briefing, President Joe Biden addressed Hurricane Ida recovery: "We are prioritizing the deployment of generators to locations most in need ... More than 31,000 households in Louisiana have already received a one-time $500 payment to support critical needs as a result of the major disaster."
For more information on how to apply for FEMA assistance, click here:
1:30 PM
For an updated list of supply distribution sites being provided for Southeast Louisiana residents, click here:
1 PM
President Joe Biden is coming to Louisiana Friday, the White House confirmed to WWL-TV.
Details about the trip are expected to be announced later today.
12:45 PM
Entergy says 5,000 power poles were damaged by Hurricane Ida. More than 20,000 lineworkers will be out trying to fix them as soon as a damage assessment is complete.
12:35 PM
By Friday, 15 to 20 vacuum trucks will be going through the city of New Orleans, trying to remove debris from drains throughout the city.
Debris on the streets will not be picked up until next week at the earliest.
12:20 PM
New Orleans EMS says they have responded to 185% of their regular calls since Hurricane Ida passed along the west of the city.
A uniquely post-storm danger, one that they say is increasing, is carbon monoxide poisoning from improper generator use.
12:15 PM
Noon
Jefferson Parish Fire Department says they are responding to four to five carbon monoxide poisoning calls per hour.
All residents are being asked to use generators outside, keep air flowing and avoid being in confined spaces near operational generators.
11:55 AM
The only evacuation spot in Jefferson Parish is PARD Playground. Anybody unable to shelter in their home or without a place to shelter can go to the playground to be transported to a mega shelter in Alexandria, La.
If you do not have transportation to the playground, call 504-349-5360 and transportation will be provided.
11:40 AM
The National Guard and GOSHEP will open a resource distribution site at West Bank Bridge Park at noon.
They will distribute ice, water and MRE rations to residents.
Anybody trying to pick up supplies from the site should turn onto River Road from I-10. They should not use the levee to access the distribution site.
11:30 AM
S&WB says they are asking residents to limit water use because of the fragile state of their sewer pumps and the danger of sewer backup into homes if the system becomes overwhelmed.
14 of those pumps are operational and S&WB hopes to raise that number to 35 by the end of the day.
The utility reports AT&T is working to bring their towers back online in the CBD, which will help communications in the city.
Water pressure and quality are stable in the city of New Orleans at this time and the city's drainage system is operational.
11 AM
The Saints will play their first home game in Jacksonville Florida, according to our partners at the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.
The team reportedly will play against the Greenbay Packers at TIAA Bank Field.
The team said they would spend the next month away from New Orleans because there is no power for them to play in the Superdome, and canceled their last pre-season game on Sunday because Hurricane Ida hit on the same day they were scheduled to play.
10:20 AM
The Entergy New Orleans CEO says as of 9:49 a.m., 11,500 customers have power, including homes in the Little Woods subdivision, the VA Hospital and the New Orleans Fire Department
10:10 AM
St. Bernard Parish officials say Shell Beach and Hopedale remain inaccessible because Yscloskey bridge is out of service.
10:05 AM
St. Bernard Parish officials say getting gas is their worst problem, with long lines at any open stations and reports of conflicts as people cut in line.
Officials will only allow cars and plastic gas cans to be used to fuel up. They are urging patience despite the heat and long wait.
10 AM
Cooling Centers are now open in New Orleans. Here is a list of the current locations:
Treme Rec Center (900 N Villere St)
Cut Off Rec Center (6600 Belgrade St)
Gernon Brown Rec Center (1001 Harrison Ave)
Milne Rec Center (5420 Franklin Ave)
Stallings St Claude Rec Center (4300 St Claude)
John P Lyons Rec Center (624 Louisiana Ave)
Joe W Brown Rec Center (5601 Read Blvd)
Rosenwald Rec Center (1120 S Broad Ave)
9 AM
All flights to or from MSY have been canceled today. Delta still plans to have some flights tomorrow, and the airport expects to resume a semi-normal service schedule by this weekend.
8:50 AM
New Orleans EMS says 12 people were hospitalized with carbon monoxide poisoning at a home in Gert Town. Previously our Nola.com partners reported 11 hospitalized from this incident.
The poisonings were caused by improper generator usage at a home. Seven of the 12 patients were minors, EMS officials say.
It's unclear how severe the poisonings were or how old the victims are.
8:30 AM
Entergy's outage map is now showing more places with power in New Orleans. Specifically, a few new neighborhoods in the Treme are now green.
The first power restorations were reported in New Orleans East earlier today, and Entergy is trying to bring some power back to the city without overloading the fragile electrical grid.
8:20 AM
11 people were taken to the hospital from a single home in New Orleans because of carbon monoxide poisoning from a generator, according to our partners at the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate.
8 AM
If you are looking for open stores in Southeast Louisiana, we are compiling a list of what is open now that Hurricane Ida has passed.
Many businesses are operating in a cash-only capacity, and long lines are expected for many in-demand resources such as ice and gas.
If you know of a business, restaurant or ATM that is operating and not already on our list, email webteam@wwltv.com with the subject line "Business Open" or tweet using the hashtag #OpenNOLA for our team to add it to the list.
You can check the full list here:
RELATED: #OpenNOLA: Here's what's open
7:45 AM
Entergy says they have completed about 36% of their post-storm assessment. Accessibility issues in some of the hardest-hit areas are making it difficult to determine the extent of damage there, but it is believed to be extensive.
Restoration will vary by parish and neighborhood based on local transmission and distribution damage, the utility says.
7:15 AM
Cleco says some customers may see power back in days rather than weeks as they near the end of their assessment of Hurricane Ida damage to their infrastructure.
On the transmission side, there is minimal structural damage, meaning the power can flow as soon as it has someplace to flow to.
On the distribution side, there is significant damage across St. Tammany and Washington parishes.
Currently, Cleco crews have found:
- 250 trees on lines
- 200 line arms broken
- 60 poles broken
- 300 spans of conductor — the wire between poles — down
Cleco officials hope to finish their damage assessment sometime Thursday, a full day ahead of schedule. Because damage wasn't as severe in other service areas they cover, crews have been rerouted to the Northshore, speeding up the assessment process.
6:55 AM
In the Atlantic, Tropical Depression Kate continues to flounder and Tropical Storm Larry has formed. Both are expected to be fish storms, which is good news for the already ravaged Southeast Louisiana community.
There is an area in the Caribbean with a 20% chance of developing in the next five days, and Your Local Weather Experts are keeping a close eye on it.
6:50 AM
Entergy says the power being transmitted to parts of New Orleans East is from the New Orleans power station, which has been a point of questioning in recent days because the power company built it on a promise that it would prevent things like Ida's citywide power outage from happening.
However, they cautioned that just because a few places now have power doesn't mean you'll get electricity anytime soon.
Here's the latest on the power situation in New Orleans and around the state:
6:30 AM
Cars are lining up at one of the first gas stations to get power in New Orleans East in an attempt to get gas, despite it being unclear if there actually is gas still at the station.
Yesterday, lines stretched for more than half a mile in some places until gas ran out, leaving many who had been waiting for hours frustrated and empty-handed.
The scene underscores the desperate fuel situation in the city as gas stations distribute an ever-scarcer supply of gasoline to power cars and generators.
6 AM
The New Orleans Airport could see some return to normalcy by this weekend, with some airlines reporting they plan to resume normal operations by Saturday.
Today, all flights except for a limited number from American Airlines are canceled, and the only airline confirming some operation tomorrow is Delta, which will have a limited flight schedule in the afternoon.
5:50 AM
St. Bernard Parish crews made an unusual rescue near the Florissant Highway Tuesday: a cow stuck in a tree above floodwaters had to be cut free with chainsaws.
See the rescue here:
5:30 AM
Until power is back to much of Southeast Louisiana, most businesses that reopen will be cash only. But the outages have another chilling effect: ATMs are out as well, meaning there are few places to actually withdraw cash.
One of the few open ATMs is at the Shell gas station at the intersection of Esplanade and Moss St. Another is at Brown Derby on Tulane Ave. in Mid-City.
ATMs carry a finite supply of cash, so anybody who needs money for the coming days should try to make their way to the Shell ATM or any others that appear to be working sooner rather than later.
5:10 AM
Another heat advisory is being issued today for Southeast Louisiana because of the high temperatures and humidity, along with the fact that almost nobody has power to run an AC.
Temps will be in the 90s today, with a heat index closer to 105 degrees because of the humidity.
The heat advisory is for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Here's where you can go to get more info on staying cool:
RELATED: How to stay cool with no power
4:50 AM
St. John the Baptist Parish remains under a mandatory curfew from 7 PM to 8 AM until further notice.
Parish officials say this curfew is being put in place to prevent travel on dark and treacherous roads, and to clear the roads for emergency responders.
4:35 AM
Entergy CEO says the new power plant could have power back to hospitals in 3 days. Investigator David Hammer reports.
4:15 AM
POWER! A very limited area in New Orleans East has power according to the Entergy map and word to our staff from excited friends.
