JEFFERSON PARISH, La. — Tropical Storm Ida is expected to make landfall in Louisiana Sunday as a Category 3 Hurricane, bringing major impacts to Jefferson Parish and the rest of Southeast Louisiana.
Some of the most significant impacts could come in the form of widespread power outages across the parish that may last for days or weeks after the storm.
Jefferson Parish Emergency Management Director Joe Valiente said the parish's storm preparation plans in the southern parts of the parish are proceeding smoothly.
In Grand Isle, where a voluntary evacuation has been called and a mandatory evacuation is expected later today, boats and RVs are still being removed while residents prepare to evacuate or ride out the storm.
Valiente said his biggest concern post-storm is the loss of electricity, because it hinders recovery efforts.
To get ahead of the worst of the outages, he said the parish is setting up hub stations for those stuck in the dark.
Post-storm shelters are being pre-stagged and over 250 oxygen tanks have been ordered for four distribution centers across the parish.
All fire station in the area will have generators, he said, so people can recharge oxygen concentrators batteries after Ida has passed.
While the exact path of the storm is still undetermined, heavy impacts are expected across Southeast Louisiana starting Saturday as conditions begin to deteriorate.
Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to speak about the state's preparations for the storm at 3:30 p.m. Friday from Baton Rouge.
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