Hurricane Ida, one of the strongest hurricanes in Louisiana’s history, is now a tropical depression, with wind speeds of 25 mph, making its way through the Tennessee Valley. By Wed/Thu, it will race through the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions and dump copious amounts of water on areas already soaked with above-normal rainfall this season. It’s also time to thank the Biden administration for staying on top on the situation, making preparations well in advance of the storm and providing assistance to the people of Louisiana and other affected states.
Here is a chart of Ida’s wind history over the past 2 days. That unexpected bump and a slowdown in lateral movement on Sunday evening caused a lot of additional misery.
Reports of damage are pouring in -
- 4 deaths have been attributed to Ida; the death toll is expected to rise.
- Many areas have suffered extensive flooding and wind damage.
- About 1 million homes and businesses are without power. Over 300K people are under boil-water notices.
- Hundreds of people have been rescued. edition.cnn.com/...
- Many roads are impassable.
- All flights are cancelled for Tuesday.
- Schools are closed indefinitely in NOLA.
- Heartbreaking videos and stories will continue to fill the news and social media.
The silver-lining —
- The upgraded levees held their ground
- Federal, state and local agencies were prepared before the hurricane and are on the ground, providing assistance, cleaning up, making repairs and restoring critical services.
- The death toll is nowhere near that of hurricane Katrina in 2005 when 1,833 people died.
Here is a graphic synopsis of the damage around NOLA and surrounding parishes -
There are many major road closures still in place.
Yes, power is still out in NOLA and much of the south east regions of LA; it may take weeks to fully restore power.
- 911 service has been restored
- Cellular service is spotty, AT&T claims 82% service in LA — www.wafb.com/… Reports are that Verizon and T-Mobile have better service in NOLA.
The power outage as seen from space -
Generators are working to pump water and sewage out of the city, but at reduced capacity. Residents are requested to minimize water usage.
NOLA water supply situation is stable -
Utility companies from over 22 states have sent crews and equipment -
Massive rescue and relief efforts are underway -
NOLA is slowly coming back to life in spite of the power outage. There is no city-wide flooding. Many businesses have generators, there is food distribution and some grocery stores are open. See www.nola.com/… for a more complete list of grocery stores, gas stations and hardware stores that are open in NOLA.
Generosity abounds —
But let’s also remind people of the superb job done by the Biden Administration by staying on top of this storm, preparing for it days in advance and co-coordinating with multiple federal, state and local agencies to minimize loss and suffering. President Biden approved Louisiana's request for a major disaster declaration on Saturday, allowing federal funding to reach residents and business owners.
Thank God or rather the people of the country that we have competent people at the helm, ready to provide assistance rather than throw paper towels or blame the local people or government.
And yes, the Biden administration can walk and chew gum, handling the crisis in Afghanistan, hurricane Ida and the republican-made crisis of COVID-19.
FEMA has been ready with personnel, supplies, generators, trucks, …
This is what competent and caring leadership looks like -
The LA National Guard in on the ground —
The National Guard from other states are providing vital assistance -
So is the USCG with their surveillance assets -
Local agencies are hard at work providing critical supplies and assistance -
How about a special round of applause and perhaps a Nobel Peace Prize for the indefatigable folks at World Central Kitchen?
Disaster assistance will be needed long after the storm has left the area —
These are but a few examples of how government can and does work to help the people who it is sworn to serve, unlike republicans who want the government to serve the donor class and grifters. Yes, there is a lot of work left to do and more suffering yet to come in Ida’s path, but it sure makes a difference when Democrats are in charge.
And let’s keep reminding people that Climate Change plays a big role in the increased ferocity of these storms and the other weather disasters we have seen in recent years. Things will only get worse unless we take drastic measures to reduce greenhouses in the atmosphere.
And yes, Climate Change fueled wildfires are still raging in the west.
How we can help
Let’s pray for our brothers and sisters in Louisiana for a fast recovery, but also lend a helpful hand with some of the links in the following tweet -
NOLA Ready recommends -
Epilogue
But let’s also keep in mind that this is not the first hurricane and not the last one to hit the U.S.A and other parts of the world. Here are a few things to keep in mind every time we write about natural disasters —
- Hurricanes and wildfires are a part of nature, made worse by man’s own actions and inactions on trashing our environment.
- Damage, loss and suffering accompany every natural disaster.
- Let’s not dwell too much on the individual heartbreaking stories and videos of damage caused by the hurricane, except to make them part of the bigger picture and to help search for long-term solutions.
Let’s keep our eye on the big picture and talk positively about the role of Democrats -
- Let’s talk and write about Climate Change, its repercussions and its mitigation. Again and again.
- Let’s debate strategies to minimize loss in coastal areas as sea levels rise and storms get more intense.
- Let’s discuss hurricane and wildfire preparedness and relief efforts.
- Let’s debate about strengthening and building up our infrastructure — roads, bridges, power grids, water and sewage systems, storm and forest management, ...
- Let’s talk about how a competent government can help alleviate loss and suffering.
- Let’s talk about leadership that Democrats bring to the nation and to the world in tackling these problems.
- Let’s spread the news about how the Biden Administration has done an admirable job of preparing for hurricane Ida, coordinating among multiple federal, state and local agencies, staging relief resources and is already on the ground doing its job without any great fanfare.
- Let’s keep reminding people that none of this would be possible with the thugs of the republican party in charge, whose mindset in all about making money for the donor class, spreading propaganda and screwing America and the world.
- Let’s accentuate the positive. Let’s not dwell on minor mistakes or setbacks of the administration. It’s a complex world and the best efforts often do not bring about the most desirable outcome. When in doubt, just remind yourselves of what it would be like if trump and his criminal gang were in charge.
Please post your thoughts on this subject … and let’s keep the comments constructive and helpful; just railing against republicans and trump does not move the ball much. All eyes should on 2022 and 2024. The future of the world is on the line.
Additional links and resources
- LA Power outage map — poweroutage.us/…
- MS road closures www.mdottraffic.com/…
- MS Power outage map — poweroutage.us/…
- www.fema.gov
- What's open: Where to get gas, groceries and more in New Orleans after Hurricane Ida — www.nola.com/...
- NHC — www.nhc.noaa.gov
- How climate change is making hurricanes more dangerous — yaleclimateconnections.org/…
- Hurricane Ida intensifies overnight, as predicted, to near Cat 5. Makes landfall. — www.dailykos.com/…
- Hurricane Ida is weakening rather slowly, causing widespread damage and misery. NOLA loses power. — www.dailykos.com/...
Updates
Entergy has plans to restore (partial) power to the greater NOLA area by end of Wed Sep 1.
The following solutions are being evaluated:
- Restoration of certain critical transmission lines that tie the Greater New Orleans region to the larger electric grid – this is the preferred solution; or
- Creating an “island” that would temporarily isolate the Greater New Orleans region from the larger electric grid. This stand-alone grid will operate on a limited basis supplied by local generation from the New Orleans Power Station in Eastern New Orleans and Nine mile 6 in Bridge City.