Prayers are requested as Hurricane Ida leaves Louisiana without electricity and in deep water.
The Christian Headlines cited a tweet of Fox 8 New Orleans on Monday that said, "Pray for us," which is said to sum up the feelings of many residents in Hurricane Ida-hit Louisiana.
Pray for us. pic.twitter.com/z3k48V3wWv
"” FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) August 30, 2021
Hurricane Ida on Monday left electrical transmission lines down causing 1 million customers in the entire cities of Baton Rouge and New Orleans without power. Mississippi is also said to be affected with 100,000 customers without electricity.
While Diocese of Baton Rouge Vocation Director Fr. Josh Johnson tweeted as Hurricane Ida approached on Sunday for prayers. Johnson confirmed on Monday after the hurricane left that there is a power outage and asked for prayers for those who suffered from the storm.
"I blessed the perimeters of my parent's home w/ holy water & salt & celebrated Mass in the house. We will spend the next few days in prayer, study, and fellowship as Hurricane Ida heads towards Baton Rouge. Let us remain united w/ each other in prayer!" Johnson said.
"My parents are without power but other than that they will be alright. Let's pray for all those who are suffering from the hurricane & for all those who will be assisting them during this time," he added in a succeeding tweet.
Besides damage to power lines, Hurricane Ida has left one casualty. The Christian Post reported that a 60-year-old man died after a tree fell on his home in Ascension Parish's Prairieville area. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards confirmed the report in a statement and said the number may increase considering rescue and relief operations have just began.
"Tonight, we have confirmed at least one death and sadly, we know there will be others. Thousands of our people are without power and there is untold damage to property across the impacted parishes," Edwards said.
While the Louisiana Department of Health later confirmed two reported deaths because of the storm, with the other involving a man drowning "after his vehicle attempted to go through floodwater near I-10 and West End Blvd. in New Orleans. His age is unknown at this time pending ID of the victim."
The National Weather Service of New Orleans said there is "widespread 10-15" of rain (probably higher in some areas due to underestimation) Many local rivers are expected to be in moderate to major flood" even though the "winds have relaxed and the surge is lowering" after Hurricane Ida left the state.
Edwards warned residents to remain in their evacuation sites and "to wait until you get the all clear from your local officials. The storm may have passed but dangers still remain."
South New Orleans is reported to be one of the areas suffering from deep floods after Hurricane Ida arrived as a Category 4 storm on Sunday and left as a tropical storm on 4am Monday moving at maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour 95 miles south-southwest of Jackson, Mississippi.
Louisiana and Mississippi have been declared as major disaster areas by President Joe Biden who has met on Monday virtually with the governors to assess the impact of the storm and provide federal assistance based on it.
In a statement, The White House revealed that Biden and officials from Louisiana and Mississippi that included Governors John Bel Edwards and Tate Reeves, respectively, have already coordinated the deployment of disaster relief and recovery assistance.
This includes hundreds of ambulances, almost a thousand search and rescue personnel, 200 generators, 3.4 million meals, 35,700 tarps, and millions of liters of water on top of deployin 250-bed Federal medical shelter in Alexandria, Louisiana and dozens of shelters kept open in operation in affected areas.
"The Biden Administration is working with its Federal, State and local partners as well as non-governmental agencies to support the needs of areas affected by Ida. The President approved a Major Disaster Declaration for the State of Louisiana and a pre-disaster Emergency Declaration for the State of Mississippi," The White House said.
"The U.S. Coast Guard has 27 rotary or fixed wing aircraft, and the Department of Defense has 60 high water vehicles and 14 rotary wing aircraft prepositioned to assist with search and rescue. Governors have activated more than 5,200 National Guard personnel in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Alabama to support response efforts. The Army Corps of Engineers has activated planning and response teams for debris removal, temporary roofing, and temporary housing," the statement added.
