- US President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in the State of Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida, unlocking federal funding to 25 affected parishes
- The hurricane has been downgraded from category four to one, but continues to cause a dangerous storm surge, damaging winds, and flash flooding
- Ida has caused significant power outages in both Mississippi and Louisiana, with more than 1 million people without power
- More than 90 per cent of oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico has been shut-in and the majority of operations evacuated
US President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in the State of Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Ida.
In a statement the White House said the declaration unlocked federal funding to 25 affected parishes.
“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the statement said.
“Federal funding also is available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for debris removal.”
The hurricane has been downgraded from category four to one, but the National Hurricane Center warned as Ida moved northward, it continued to cause a dangerous storm surge, damaging winds and flash flooding over southeastern Louisiana.
Power outages now extend to Mississippi, with 1.08 million customers in that state and Louisiana without power according to PowerOutage.US.
Ahead of the hurricane, the majority of oil and gas operations in the Gulf of Mexico were evacuated according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.
The bureau estimated 95.65 per cent of oil production and 93.75 per cent of gas production in the Gulf had been shut in.