On Sunday, Hurricane Ida roared towards the Louisiana coast. It brought with it devastating levels of flooding and 150 mph winds. This made it the fifth-strongest hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland.
Officials described chest-level floodwaters filling homes. New Orleans was without power for the entire day. The levees were blown to pieces. Winds scattered power lines. Residents were trapped on rooftops or in attics.
Monday morning saw at least one death, but most of the damage remains unaccounted for and rescue efforts continue.
On Monday, the winds slowed down and Ida became a tropical storm over Mississippi. However, dangerous winds and flash flooding continue to be a threat to the region. This makes it difficult to rescue residents trapped in the area and to repair the electricity grids.
Alexander Reiter, a New Orleans Police Officer, examines the debris of a building that was damaged by Hurricane Ida. Hurricane Ida knocked out all power in New Orleans and inundated coastal Louisiana communities with a deadly path through Gulf Coast. It is still unfolding and promises further destruction. (Gerald Herbert/AP)
Ida also smashed into Louisiana 16 years after Hurricane Katrina. It struck the same coast as Katrina and drew immediate comparisons between the storms. Katrina was a disaster that caused widespread destruction, with over 1,800 deaths and $175 billion in damage.
Louisiana has taken steps to improve its levee system in order to avoid another catastrophe.
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards stated, "There is no doubt in my mind that the next days and weeks will be very difficult for our state and many, many people will be tested in ways we can only imagine right now." John Bel Edwards stated this at a Sunday press conference, shortly before the storm hit. "But I can also say that as a state, our preparedness has never been greater."
Below are photos showing Ida's impact. This post will be kept updated throughout the day.
As Category 4 Hurricane Ida hits New Orleans, La. on Sunday, a man in a wheelchair seeks refuge under a bus shelter on Canal Street. (Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images).
On Sunday, in New Orleans, a man captures high waves on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. (Gerald Herbert/AP)
A man walks past a section of the roof that was damaged by Hurricane Ida winds in New Orleans' French Quarter. (Eric Gay/AP).
A mother and her child protect their faces from Hurricane Ida's wind and rain on Sunday in New Orleans. (Eric Gay/AP).
On Sunday, trees in New Orleans swayed in the wind of Hurricane Ida. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Pedestrians in Bourbon Street during the New Orleans power outage on Sunday. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
After Hurricane Ida's Sunday destruction of New Orleans' frontal structure, vehicles are damaged. (IScott Olson/Getty Images).
On Sunday, firefighters prayed together as the hurricane-eye wall approached the Bourg fire station in Bourg (La.). (Mark Felix AFP via Getty Images).
In this still image, water enters a beachhouse as Hurricane Ida hits Grand Isle, La. on Sunday. This still image was taken from a social media video. (Christie Angelette via Reuters)
After Hurricane Ida battered New Orleans, the Karofsky shop suffered severe damage. (Devika Krishna Kumar/Reuters)
Traffic is diverted around power poles, which hang above a road in Metairie, La, after Hurricane Ida passed through on Monday. (Steve Helber/AP)
Chris Atkins' house in New Orleans was where his wife and sheet rock fell during Hurricane Ida. (Rebecca Santana/AP)
Local resident walks past the destruction of a hotel after Hurricane Ida hit Houma, La. on Monday. (Adrees Latif/Reuters
After Hurricane Ida struck the day before, flood-prone streets of Kenner, La. were photographed Monday. (Marco Bello/Reuters)
New Orleans firefighters evaluate the damage after a building in New Orleans collapsed due to Hurricane Ida. (Eric Gay/AP).
After Hurricane Ida hit, a man and his stepson walked through the water in Saint Rose, La. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
On Monday, Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana and a person riding a bicycle passed a Shell station in Kenner. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images).
After Hurricane Ida battered New Orleans, the Karnofsky shop suffered severe damage. (Devika Krishna Kumar/Reuters)
Highway 51 is inundated after Hurricane Ida hit LaPlace, Louisiana, U.S.A, August 30, 2021. (Mickey Welsh/Montgomery Advertiser/USA TODAY Network via Reuters
Dartanian Stovall inspects the house that collapsed in New Orleans, Louisiana during Hurricane Ida's peak on August 30, 2021. (Michael DeMocker/USA TODAY Network via Reuters)
Jacob Hodges (right) and his brother Jeremy Hodges clear debris from their storage area that was damaged by Hurricane Ida on Monday, Aug. 30, 2021 in Houma. (David J. Phillip/AP
A high-water vehicle is used to rescue people from flooding streets in LaPlace, Louisiana by first responders. This was done on Monday, August 30, 2021. (Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rene Hebert is seen carrying a computer in her family's damaged offices, as she cleans up after Hurricane Ida. This was Monday, Aug. 30, 2021 in Houma (La). (David J. Phillip/AP
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