After the flood reached more than 10 feet high, hundreds of people in Louisiana were trapped in the “imminent danger” of Hurricane Ida, preventing first responders from reaching them.
The affected area is the diocese of St. John the Baptist and Jefferson. The mayor of Jean Lafitte, Tim Kerner, said that the flood submerged the dam. The town is located outside the dike protection system of Jefferson Parish.
The news came after Hurricane Ida caused its first death on Sunday.The Sheriff’s Office of the Diocese of Ascension reported on its Facebook A 60-year-old man was killed by a fallen tree shortly after 8:30 pm local time.
Kerner told WGNO-TV in Louisiana that the hurricane brought “complete destruction” and was “catastrophic.”
He said that about 200 people are now in danger.
Jean Lafitte police Chief Marcel Rodriguez said he believes that at least 400 people have failed to comply with the mandatory evacuation order due to physical or financial reasons.
The exact number of people at potential risk is not yet known.
Kerner said: “We have a small group of people trying to take away those in the most imminent danger.”
“This is a very dangerous situation. I have never seen so much water in my life. We have lost our school and everything, but now with people’s lives, it has become a full rescue mission,” he said.
“I think people’s lives are in danger right now,” Kerner continued. “We are working hard to get them out as quickly as possible, and as soon as possible in this weather [breaks] We will send an army to them. “
Kerner said that the flood wall protecting his town was 7.5 feet high, but the flood rose to more than 10 feet.
“It really became a rescue mission. We had to save the place where the children go to school in the small town, where they got married here, and where so many people live. But in the end, the water won,” he said.
Authorities in the parish of St. John the Baptist reported that they received a large number of calls from stranded residents who were unable to reach emergency personnel later on Sunday.Residents of Laplace Town Always begging for help in the flood.
The Sheriff’s Office of the Diocese of Ascension reported the first death late on Sunday and wrote on Facebook: “Shortly after 8:30 p.m., delegates received a report stating that a citizen may have been A fallen tree in a residence on Highway 621 in Revere was injured. Delegates arrived at the scene and confirmed that the victim has now died.”
Hurricane Ida made landfall in the United States at 11:55 p.m. EST on Sunday Category 4 wind speed is 150 mph, gusts up to 165 mph. Since landfall, the hurricane has gradually weakened and has now risen to level one.
this The entire city of New Orleans is out of power The power outage has now spread to neighboring Mississippi. Overall, there are 1,082,955 customers in both states without electricity.
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