Hurricane Ida destroyed New Orleans jazz landmark, '2nd home to the young Louis Armstrong'

Hurricane Ida, which made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, on Sunday had weakened to a tropical storm Monday morning but was still dumping dangerous quantities of rain as it moved across Mississippi at about 8 mph, with top sustained wins of 60 mph. Ida is blamed for a least one death in Prairieville, outside Baton Rouge, and it left more than a million people in Louisiana without electricity, including the entire city of New Orleans. President Biden approved a major disaster declaration for Louisiana on Sunday.

Ida hit New Orleans exactly 16 years to the day after Hurricane Katrina started battering the city, leaving much of it underwater and 1,800 residents dead. Officials say the levees have been greatly improved since 2005, but Ida left its mark. Orleans Parish said early Monday that its 911 system was down and New Orleans residents in need of emergency assistance should go to the nearest fire station or find a police officer.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.