On August 29th, 2020, Residents of New Orleans woke up to a devastating hurricane aftermath. Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Ida had category 4 winds with a high of 150 mph winds, tearing roofs from homes and roots from trees, leaving debris scattered around neighborhoods.

People were awaiting rescue on rooftops, towns were cut from communications, and over a million people have faced days without power. Ida has been the cause of two deaths that have been confirmed as of Monday, August 23rd. One of the victims of Hurricane Ida drowned after attempting to drive his car through the floodwaters. The second victim was found on Sunday night after being hit by a fallen tree.

Gov. John Bel Edwards said he expects the number of fatalities to increase as recovery efforts continue.

At a briefing, the governor stated, “We know that there are individuals out there waiting to be rescued. Please know that we have thousands out doing search and rescue.”

President Joe Biden said the federal government would send more than 200 generators, millions of bottled water, and meals. President Biden had also asked the Department of Defense and Homeland Security to make available any satellite images that could be helpful in assessing the damage.

U.S. Coast Guards and National Guard continued operations on Tuesday. Search and Rescue teams from over 15 states are conducting operations in areas that were damaged the most, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Officials say due to severe damage residents are left without homes and are not able to safely return from evacuation. It is unclear when power will be restored to residents. Experts believe it may last more than a month for a majority of people. Cleanup is underway and locals are hoping for a speedy recovery from the mass destruction that Hurricane Ida has left.

People around the globe continue to remind Louisianians that making a comeback for Hurricane Ida’s demolition is a marathon — not a sprint.