MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th August, 2021) The first death caused by Hurricane Ida has occurred in the US state of Louisiana, the Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office (APSO) informs.
"Shortly after 8:30 p.m. [01:30 GMT on Monday] 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," APSO said in a Sunday statement.
According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Ida weakened to a Category 2 storm on Sunday, but still poses danger with maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (177 kilometers per hour) reported in Louisiana.
More than 960,000 Louisiana residents were left without power on Sunday, according to the latest data from poweroutage.us. The Mississippi River in New Orleans partially reversed its flow on Sunday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Earlier on Sunday, New Orleans emergency authorities announced that the city, which has a population of about 384,000, was left without power because of damage to energy facilities caused by Hurricane Ida. Entergy Nola specified that the only power in the city was coming from generators.
Speaking at a Sunday meeting of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), US President Joe Biden warned that Hurricane Ida was going to be a major life-threatening storm and promised all the necessary federal assistance to Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Biden approved emergency disaster declarations for Louisiana and Mississippi on Friday and Saturday, respectively, authorizing direct federal help, including power generation.
