Hurricane Ida clean up begins

Rescue crews on Monday used boats, helicopters, and high-water trucks to help hundreds of Louisiana residents trapped by floodwaters. Local authorities said the storm killed at least two people. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said it could be weeks before electricity is restored in some areas after the hurricane twisted and collapsed a giant tower carrying major transmission lines across the Mississippi River to New Orleans. The storm also knocked out 18 water systems, impacting more than 312,000 people.

What’s the ongoing response? Edwards said 25,000 utility workers are already working to restore electricity. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued emergency waivers for Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday night until Sept. 16 to address fuel shortages. Ida is on track to bring rainfall to the Tennessee and Ohio River valleys on Tuesday before heading for the Appalachian mountain region Wednesday and the nation’s capital on Thursday.

Dig deeper: Read Kent Covington’s earlier report in The Sift on the hurricane’s landfall.