Speed Reads

in the dark

New Orleans could be without power for up to 3 weeks after Hurricane Ida

All of New Orleans was without power Sunday after Hurricane Ida slammed Louisiana, and for some customers, restoring it could take weeks. 

Entergy Louisiana warned Sunday that customers who were in the "direct path" of the storm may be out of power for up to three weeks, Bloomberg reports

"While 90 percent of customers will be restored sooner, customers in the hardest-hit area should plan for the possibility of experiencing extended power outages," Entergy said.

More than one million people in Louisiana and Mississippi were without power by Monday morning, and Entergy said it's "currently working to assess damage and identify a path forward to restore power," The Washington Post reports. The company previously said that power was out across all of New Orleans due to "catastrophic transmission damage." 

The National Hurricane Center said Monday that Ida had been downgraded to a tropical storm. Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng told NBC News, "We are ending what was a terrifying night for many individuals waiting for their rescue. Today is the day we are going to see the damage." FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell also told CNN that "we're hearing about widespread structural damage" in Louisiana, noting that Ida was a category 4 hurricane for "several hours." 

"I don't think that there could have been a worse path for this storm," Criswell said. "It's going to have some significant impacts."