Ida's Louisiana death toll rises to 26 with 11 newly reported New Orleans fatalities

Louisiana on Wednesday reported 11 more deaths attributed to Hurricane Ida, nine of them New Orleans residents 64 to 70 who suffered "excessive heat during an extended blackout" after the storm hit. The other two deaths were New Orleans residents killed by carbon monoxide poisoning. New Orleans officials said earlier this week that many elderly people were trapped in residential apartments with no electricity or air conditioning in the sweltering heat.

The 11 new victims died between Aug. 30 and Monday, but the Orleans Parish coroner just confirmed that they were tied to Ida, state officials said. Louisiana's death toll from the hurricane now stands at 26. At least 50 more people died as Ida dumped rain on the East Coast, from Virginia to New England.

Although power is now restored to most of New Orleans, about 342,000 people in the state still have no electricity, gas shortages are common, and 250,000 students in southeastern Louisiana are still unable to return to school.

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