Hurricane Ida is on its way out of the state north out of St. Helena and East Feliciana Parishes, still as a category one hurricane. Kevin Gallagher reports the state government is ready to move in to begin recovery once the sun rises on a battered Bayou State…

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President Biden approved Governor Edwards’ request for a President Major Disaster Declaration, clearing the way for a massive influx of federal aid.

Despite a historic battering the federal levee system around the New Orleans area held strong and kept Ida from recreating the worst of Hurricane Katrina’s citywide flooding. U-S Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Matt Roe says that’s because after Katrina the federal government spent 14.5 billion dollars on a system designed to reduce the damage from powerful hurricanes

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Over a million households and businesses are without power this morning. State Climatologist Barry Keim says because the damage was so widespread it may take quite a while for everyone to get their lights back.

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So far only one confirmed death from Ida, that being an ascension parish man who died when a tree hit his home.

Hurricane Ida is expected to exit the state sometime within the next hour after sulking across the southeastern portion of The Boot for over 12 hours. The system is still a hurricane, but much weaker now a category one after making landfall near Port Fourchon as a Category Four.

Power is out to over a million households and businesses in Louisiana right now, with the outlook bleak for a quick recovery. A transmission tower supplying New Orleans and the East Bank of Jefferson Parish is down and lines into far southeastern portions have been taken offline.

President Biden approved the state’s request for a President Major Disaster Declaration, saying the feds will be there to help the region get back on its feet, as long as it takes…

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2.5 meals have been positioned to go out to needy communities.

In just a few hours those in Southeast Louisiana will wake up to survey damage from the historically powerful Hurricane Ida.

It’ll likely take the rest of the day to get a full accounting but already we know coastal communities were devastated, Laplace faced shockingly high levels of flooding, and the New Orleans Metro Area may be without power for an extended period. State Climatologist Barry Keim…

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Keim says and the rain totals stayed low and the federal levees we can be fairly sure we aren’t looking at devastation on the level we saw from Katrina…

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Hurricane Ida is close to exiting the state, now heading through north Tangipahoa Parish on its way to St. Helena and East Feliciana as a category one hurricane. Some wind impacts are still expected across the Northshore throughout the night and emergency response officials warn people not to leave their homes yet for fear of down powerlines and surprise flooding.

In the more than 12 hours since Ida first made landfall near Port Fourchon only one death has been officially reported, that of an Ascension Parish man who died when a tree fell on his home. That number is likely to grow once the sun comes up over the Bayou State and response teams can fully survey the damage along the coast and in Laplace where a reported seven feet of water was covering the I-10 nearby.

According to the public service commission a million Louisiana households are without power but that number is expected to grow in the coming hours.

President Joe Biden vows to put the country’s “full might” behind rescue and recovery efforts in southeast Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida.

Biden says they’ve pre-positioned a number of federal assets including 2.5 million meals and three million liters of water. He says they have generators in place and are in contact with power companies…

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The New Orleans region suffered “catastrophic” damage to the power grid, losing a transmission tower and all eight transmission lines serving New Orleans and the east bank of Jefferson Parish.

Biden says they’ve been praying for the best but planning for the worst and are ready to help starting this morning. He says FEMA is ready to move in and assist ASAP…

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Ida has been further downgraded to a category one and is now pushing through northern Livingston and Tangipahoa Parish after cutting directly between Baton Rouge and Hammond.

There are reports of extensive flooding in Laplace with as much as six feet of water in some neighborhoods. Ida seemingly parked over Laplace for two hours after moving on from Houma bringing severe storm surge from Lake Ponchartrain and rainfall.

The national weather service reports a levee near Lafitte and Jean Lafitte failed and called for everyone in the area to immediately seek higher ground due to a flash flood emergency.

There’s growing concern that it could take an extended period of time before power is restored to the New Orleans area after a transmission tower was taken down several hours ago. The public service commission reports a million households are now without power.

President Joe Biden vows to send an “army” of support to southeast Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida. The President approved Governor Edwards’ request for a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration earlier Sunday, and Edwards says every state resource at our disposal is ready to move in and help in recovery and rescue efforts once the winds dissipate in a few hours.

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With power out and homes flooded thousands of Louisianans are expected to need state shelter in the coming days. DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters says if you need shelter call 2-1-1, and listen to local officials…

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Ida is down to a category two hurricane after making landfall earlier today as a powerful category four. The slow moving storm is currently moving through Livingston Parish blasting the Northshore with powerful winds and heavy rain.

A transmission tower that provides power for New Orleans and the east bank of Jefferson Parish reportedly collapsed into the Mississippi River a few hours ago plunging nearly all of the Greater New Orleans area into darkness and threatening the region’s ability to pump out water that was dumped in by Ida. At least 900,000 households across southeast Louisiana have lost power with that number almost certain to cross a million by the end of the hour.

Ochsner says they will be evacuating everyone from St. Anne Hospital in Raceland after Ida ripped off a portion of the facility’s roof and the building began taking on water.

The state confirms the first fatalitiy reportedly linked to Ida, a man in Acension parish who died after a tree fell on his home.

Governor 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

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And despite the power woes plaguing New Orleans the city’s 15 billion dollar federal levee system appears to have passed a major test and held up against storm surge pumped in by Ida. U-S Army Corps of Engineers spokesperson Matt Roe says the levee system that protects the metro New Orleans area was built to protect against a 100-year level of storm surge, which is a surge that has a one-percent chance of happening…

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Hurricane Ida has been downgraded to a category two hurricane and is now past Laplace and should be in Livingston Parish within the hour.
The state is reporting the first confirmed Ida-related casualty. A man in Ascension Parish was killed when a tree fell on his home along LA 621 just north of Gonzales.
Over 900,000 people in Louisiana are now without power according to the Public Service Commission with a near total loss of lights in Acsension, Terrbebonne, LaFourche, Jefferson, The River Parishes, Orleans, and St. Bernard. About 70 percent of Livinginston, Tangipahoa, and St. Tammany are out.
These losses are likely to send many seeking shelter. Governor Edwards says that’s going be to a logistical problem it COVID still surging…
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State Climatologist Barry keim says Ida is one of the three most powerful systems to ever make landfall in the state…
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And unlike past storms Ida managed to maintain at major hurricane strength for hours as it piddled around in the marshlands of southeast Louisiana and butted up against a high pressure system that slowed it to a crawl. Keim says there’s a few reasons why Ida is still a powerful category two…
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The power situation at LRN unfortunately triggered the building fire alarm. After 25 minutes we managed to shut it off. As a result the 930 broadcast will be a rebroadcast of the 830. We will return at 9:55 with a new newcast. Appologies.

– Matt Doyle

LRN is begining to experience some problems with power flucuations related to Ida that are causing our computers to restart frequently. Due to this there may be delays in the posting of Newscall texts. We will work to get these texts posted as proptly as possible, but if you see a delay know that’s what is happening.

This should not result in delays in the actual broadcasts.

– Matt Doyle, LRN

Hurricane Ida continues its slow, devastating creep across Louisiana, with the eyewall closing in on LaPlace.

Despite Ida’s historic power officials are confident the federal levee systems surrounding the Greater New Orleans Area will hold. Governor John Bel Edwards says that region is more protected than ever before.

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This advance has left about 650 thousand customers without power across southeast Louisiana. Entergy reports nearly the entire City of New Orleans has gone dark after the area suffered “catastrophic transmission damage”. Across Plaquemine, Terrebonne, and LaFourche Parishes nearly all customers are without power and power is rapidly fading in St. Tammany and Tangipahoa.

Despite making “landfall” earlier today Ida is still a robust category three hurricane with sustained winds of 115 miles per hour. State Climatologist Barry keim says that’s because the system made landfall in the waterlogged southeastern marshlands…

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Ida is forecast to move past LaPlace and into Livingston Tangipahoa Parishes around 10 PM tonight.

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….
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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
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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…
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