Hurricane Ida continues to move further inland over southeastern Louisiana. At seven PM, the National Hurricane Center said the center of the storm was 55 miles southeast of Baton Rouge, with maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour, which means it’s still a Category Three hurricane.

According to the National Weather Service’s Ben Schott, Baton Rouge will see lesser impacts than expected, New Orleans area still seeing very high winds and heavy rain. Winds will gust between 60 and 80 miles per hour on the Northshore.

Thousands are without power. Entergy spokesperson David Freese says once it is safe to do so power crews will begin a massive restoration effort….
Cut 19 (11) “…effort.”
Governor Edwards says up to 30-thousand electricity linemen will fan out in the state once Ida leaves.

There’s confidence the levee system that protects New Orleans can withstand Hurricane Ida’s life-threatening storm surge. U-S Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Matt Roe says after Katrina the federal government spent 14.5 billion dollars on a system designed to reduce the damage from powerful hurricanes
Cut 13 (17) “…second line of defense.”
For those looking for a shelter, they can call 2-1-1 or text l-a shelter to 898 211. Governor Edwards says they already have sheltered 15-hundred evacuees, but more will be needed and they need a large space to do so, because of COVID…
Cut 10 (15) “…family groups”

After making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Port Fourchon with maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour, Hurricane Ida is down to a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour. The center of the storm is passing just east of Matthews, which is in Lafourche Parish. The state health department says there was a partial generator failure at Thibodaux Regional which forced doctors and nurses to quickly move ICU patients to another floor.

The main levee system that protects the New Orleans metro area is expected to withstand Ida’s powerful storm surge. Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Matt Roe says 14 billion dollars in federal money went towards building this extensive levee system…
cut 15 (14) “…the area”

Governor John Bel Edwards has requested a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration as a result of the massive damage southeast Louisiana is experiencing from Hurricane Ida. In the meantime, Edwards has activated the entire Louisiana National Guard, which means 49-hundred soldiers are able to respond to this disaster…
cut 9 (10) “…34 helicopters”
Utility companies are anticipating a massive restoration effort that could take weeks to complete. Entergy spokesperson David Freese says there will be some real challenges….
Cut 20 (14) “…back of homes.”
And this from the National Weather Service, there’s a tornado warning until seven o’ clock for Slidell, Lacombe and Pearl River.

Hurricane Ida made landfall shortly before noon today as a Category Four hurricane near Port Fourchon. Here’s how it sounded….
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In Terrebonne, Parish President Gordon Dove describes what he’s experienced so far.
Cut 3 (08) “…flying off.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Ida is now passing just east of Houma, with maximum sustained winds of 130 miles per hour. The eye of the storm is about 40 miles southwest of New Orleans. But U-S Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Matt Roe says the 130-mile ring of levees to protect the New Orleans metro area should hold up to Ida…
cut 14 (12) “…reslilient”

The state is reporting 15-hundred people are sheltered statewide in 23 different shelters. Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says to find a shelter, dial 2-1-1 or text L-A-shelter to 898-211. Walters also encourages evacuees to check with local government officials…
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Governor John Bel Edwards some of the state’s most vulnerable residents have also been evacuated out of harm’s way….
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Ochsner says all of their hospitals and emergency departments across the region remain open and they are also fully staffed at all of their facilities.

Hurricane Ida made landfall just before noon near Port Fourchon packing maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. Ida’s maximum sustained winds have fallen to 130 miles per hour as it moves northwestward over southeastern Louisiana. New Orleans has yet to feel the brunt of the storm, but U-S Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Matt Roe believes the 14-point-five billion-dollar levee system constructed after Katrina can withstand Ida’s intense storm surge…
cut 13 (17) “…. second line of defense”
Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove says the parish has a 78-mile levee system and as far as he can tell it’s holding up…
cut 5 (13) “…we’re ok”
But the property damage is expected to be intensive.

Governor Edwards says there are 15-hundred people sheltered statewide in 23 different shelters. Don Molino has info on how to find one…
cut 1 (35) “…I’m Don Molino”

Over 425-thousand Entergy customers are without power. Entergy spokesperson Brandon Freese says some customers in the hardest-hit areas could be without power for several weeks…
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The eye of Hurricane Ida came ashore just before 12:00 today in Port Fourchon, which is the southern tip of Lafourche. State Climatologist Barry Keim says Ida was packing winds at 150 miles per hour when it made landfall…
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Grand Isle has seen its fair share of hurricanes, but police chief Scooter Resweber told NOLA-dot-com that this is the worst he’s seen. The coastal town could be experiencing a storm surge as high as 16 feet to go along with 100-mile per hour plus winds.

President Joe Biden is keeping an eye on the situation from FEMA headquarters…
cut 2 (11) “…as it takes) (2x)

Hurricane Ida is making its way through coastal southeast Louisiana with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. The eye of the storm is just west of Golden Meadow in Lafourche Parish. Over in Terrebonne Parish, Parish President Gordon Dove expects wind damage to be significant and encourages residents to shelter in place and even after Ida passes…
cut 4 (13) “…passes through”
Utility companies are anticipating a massive restoration effort that could take weeks to complete. Entergy spokesperson David Freese says there will be some real challenges….
Cut 20 (14) “…back of homes.”

Hurricane Ida made landfall shortly before noon today as a Category Four hurricane near Port Fourchon, which is the southern tip of Lafourche Parish. In neighboring Terrebonne, Parish President Gordon Dove describes what he’s experienced so far.
Cut 3 (08) “…flying off.
Governor John Bel Edwards says Ida’s powerful winds and storm surge are just starting to produce damage in the coastal parishes of southeast Louisiana. But Edwards says based on modeling of Hurricane Ida, they do not anticipate overtopping of the Mississippi River levee or of the federal flood protection system in the New Orleans area…
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Governor John Bel Edwards says there are 15-hundred people sheltered across the state in 23 different shelters. Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says the American Red Cross is working with local officials to open shelters…
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To find a shelter, text l-a-shelter to 898-211 or call 2-1-1.

There are nearly 300-thousand outages and that number is expected to climb significantly as Ida lashes out on Southeast Louisiana. Entergy spokesperson David Freese says once it is safe to do so power crews will begin a massive restoration effort….
Cut 19 (11) “…effort.”
Edwards says up to 30-thousand electricity linemen will fan out in the state once Ida leaves.

Hurricane Ida is in the Southeastern Gulf of Mexico with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Schott says Ida is expected to move northwest towards Terrebonne Parish and make landfall as a Category Four storm…
cut 15 (17) “…heavy rainfall”
Ida’s damaging winds are expected to produce lengthy power outages. Vice President of Distribution at Entergy Louisiana John Hawkins says crews are going through pre-storm checklists, making sure that additional supplies, including poles, transformers, and other equipment are on hand…
cut 23 (07) “….safely”

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Lafourche, Terrebonne, Assumption and St. Charles parishes. Over in St. Bernard. Director of Homeland Security John Rahaim (Ram) says because Ida developed so quickly they did not have enough time to issue any formal evacuation orders….
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The state has started to open shelters. There’s one in Shreveport on Jewella Avenue and another in Bastrop on East Madison Street. For more information call 2-1-1.

And on the COVID front, Governor Edwards has extended the state’s indoor mask mandate through the month of September…
cut 29 (12) “…and effective”

Hurricane Ida is a Category One hurricane about 435 miles southeast of Houma. The storm is moving northwest at 16 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour. Ida is forecasted to make landfall as a Category Four Hurricane in Terrebonne Parish tomorrow night and then it will turn north towards Baton Rouge. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Schott…
cut 12 (13) “….outages”
Governor John Bel Edwards says Louisianans have until nightfall to get ready for Ida. Edwards says he knows this is very short notice but Ida is developing and moving much faster than the initial forecasts.
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State Police report many of the state’s interstates and evacuation routes are congested with heavy traffic due to Hurricane Ida evacuees. New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell says because Ida developed so quickly, there was not enough time to implement contra-flow on Interstate 10…
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Cantrell says for residents who do not evacuate, she asks they shelter in place.

Ochsner Health system says there are no plans to evacuate any of their hospitals as they say they have enough generator power, food and water to take care of their patients. But Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas says they do not have the capacity to accept a large influx of patients from other healthcare facilities due to COVId stretching resources…
cut 4 (05) “….challenging”

Hurricane Ida is a Category one storm with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour in the southeastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. It’s expected to strengthen as it moves across the warm waters of the Gulf. The forecast calls for Ida to be a Category Four storm when it hits Terrebonne Parish tomorrow afternoon. National Weather Service Meteorologist Ben Schott says 10 to 15 feet of storm surge is possible from the mouth of the Mississippi River to Morgan City, and surge levels are still dangerous across the entire rest of the state’s coastline.
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Damaging winds are a major concern with this storm. St. Tammany Parish President Mike Cooper says power companies have prepositioned crews….
cut 7 (09) “…period of time”

There’s a major traffic jam on Interstate 10 heading out of New Orleans. Mandatory evacuations have been issued for St. Charles, Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes. New Orleans has ordered a mandatory evacuation for parts outside of the city’s levee system and a voluntary evacuation for the rest of New Orleans. Governor Edwards says the state is prepared to conduct high water rescues…
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Ochsner Health CEO Warner Thomas says there are no plans to evacuate their hospitals as they have enough generator backup power, food, and water if local water systems are impacted…
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Thomas says they are also treating 836 COVID patients across their system. 88-percent are unvaccinated.

Hurricane Ida is now in the southeastern Gulf of Mexico and it’s expected to strengthen as it moves over warm water towards Louisiana. Ida is expected to make landfall in Terrebonne Parish as a Category Four storm. Governor John Bel Edwards says tropical storm-force winds could start impacting coastal portions of southeast Louisiana tonight…
cut 10 (10) “…storm”
Ida is expected to bring 140-mile per hour winds to the coast and 100-mile per hour winds well inland. 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall over southeast Louisiana and Ben Schott with the National Weather Service says up to 20 inches is possible…
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The Louisiana National Guard is staging highwater vehicles, boats, engineer work teams, and other assets across 13 parishes.

Once Ida makes landfall tomorrow, the forecast track shows the storm moving northwest towards Franklin and New Iberia and then turning towards the northeast, past Baton Rouge and towards Natchez, Mississippi. USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says sugarcane farmers are keeping a close eye on Ida’s forecasted track…
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The state’s largest healthcare system, Ochsner Health says they don’t plan on having to transfer any patients out of their hospitals ahead of Hurricane Ida. CEO Warner Thomas says they are prepared with water, fuel, and generators.
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However, Thomas says Ochsner’s ability to accept a large influx of patients from other facilities, like smaller hospitals and nursing homes, that could be faced with evacuations during the hurricane, could be extremely difficult due to COVID stretching resources.