Hurricane Ida, now tropical depression Ida, made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday, August 29 afternoon. The New York Times described it to be “worse than Katrina” according to some interviews, and it truly demolished many of the homes in the area. 

As of right now there are at least two people who have been killed, and an estimated one million people have lost power in Louisiana. In Mississippi, fifty thousand people are estimated to have lost power according to PowerOutage.US. Because of this there is a lack of necessities found in the cities who have been hit, including water, food, medical assistance, and the ability to contact emergency services which returned on Tuesday, August 31.

This destruction can take weeks to recover from and many won’t be able to return to their homes, due to a high chance of damage. According to The Weather Channel “entire stretches of Grand Isle [are] underwater” and “buildings [are] ripped to shreds”. These damaged homes are leaving many without a place to live, and many don’t have the finances to stay anywhere else.

Furthermore, Accuweather estimates seventy to eighty billion dollars in damages that will need to be restored. The effort of restoration will take up to an estimated four weeks to get back to normal conditions. On Tuesday, August 31 the governor, John Bel Edwards, encouraged those who evacuated Louisiana to remain out of the evacuated areas until further notice. 

Local rescue services have sent help including, All Hands and Hearts, Second Harvest Food Bank, AirLink, and many more. These groups are working to help out with providing many things such as, first aid, food, water, and helping to clear out trees and debris. National organizations are also helping with groups like the Red Cross, The Salvation Army, and Project HOPE who have been assisting in many of these same efforts. These volunteer groups and rescue services are helping to restore all areas affected by Ida as quickly and effectively as possible.