(LA.) — Utility companies warned residents in Louisiana it may take weeks before power can be restored to their homes following the devastation caused by Hurricane Ida.
As of Monday morning, over 888,000 customers don’t have power, and that number is growing as the storm moves its way into the country.
“It will likely take days to determine the extent of damage to our power grid in metro New Orleans and far longer to restore electrical transmission to the region,” Entergy New Orleans, the city’s utility, tweeted.
The blackout is coinciding with a forecast that predicts temperatures in the high 80s.
Here are some crucial safety tips for anyone whose home doesn’t have power.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency advises people to ensure their portable devices have batteries as close to fully charged as possible.
New Orleans’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness recommends communicating via SMS text messaging, because that uses the least amount of cell phone battery power.
If you are using a generator to power appliances or your home, make sure it is positioned outside in a well-ventilated area, as fumes from the generator could result in carbon monoxide poisoning, emergency experts said.
Refrigerators and freezers should be kept closed during the outage.
“The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours. Use coolers with ice if necessary,” FEMA advises.
If it appears at all that a food item is spoiled, emergency management experts say it’s best to not take any chances and throw it out.
Affected residents should rely on canned food and other non-perishable food items.
If you need to cook any food, charcoal grills are more efficient for cooking during a power outage. The grills should be used outdoors to prevent any carbon monoxide poisoning.
When it comes to the heat, emergency management experts emphasize constant hydration and wearing thin and comfortable clothes.
The use of battery-powered cooling devices, such as portable fans, is encouraged to beat the heat, according to experts.
If possible, affected users should head to the closest cooling center, such as a library or public pool, to avoid heatstroke or overheating.
FEMA warns that senior citizens are most vulnerable to these conditions during a blackout.
(CALIF.) — Due to the thick smoke from the Caldor Fire, the air quality near the Lake Tahoe area is nearly 40 times what the World Health Organization deems unhealthy, according to data from IQAir.
For over two weeks, the Caldor Fire has swept across 177,260 acres of Northern California and only 14% of the fire is currently contained, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
As of Monday, over 500 structures have been damaged or destroyed and at least three first responders and two civilians have been injured, according to the state.
Statewide, over 15,000 firefighters are currently battling a total of 15 large wildfires. In total, 1.7 million acres have been burned in 2021, according to the state.
With windy conditions, firefighters are facing challenging weather this week as the Caldor Fire spreads throughout the Lake Tahoe area. The fire is threatening more than 20,000 structures in its current path.
(LA.) — Medical facilities in Louisiana are reeling from Ida, which demolished coastal regions of the state after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday afternoon. Ida, now a tropical storm, is one of the strongest hurricanes on record to touch down in Louisiana.
Ochsner Health System, a not-for-profit health care provider, is almost completely relying on emergency power generators following the storm, according to Mike Hulefeld, the chief operating officer. Thousands of homes and businesses are also without power, and the outages may last for days, according to local utility companies Entergy and Cleco.
At Ochsner’s Kenner facility, parts of the roof came off the building as workers sheltered inside the building, and almost all of Ochsner’s facilities have suffered from roof or water damage, Hulefeld told reporters in a press conference.
Since city and parish water systems are damaged, local hospitals are also relying on their own well systems to supply water to their locations. These damages — and more — reflect regionwide issues that health care workers are having to tackle amid the Ida aftermath.
“People will get tired, and they have been challenged by COVID, but we had 100% of our staff show up … when we called essential personnel,” Hulefeld said, “and that speaks to the commitment that our people have.”
The storm and its subsequent destruction came as the state struggled to contain its fourth COVID-19 wave, putting hospitals on the brink.
About 90% of beds in Louisiana’s intensive care units are filled, according to Johns Hopkins University, and only about 41% of the population is vaccinated. New Orleans specifically is experiencing a severe outbreak, according to the mayor’s office, with a seven-day average of 220 new infections.
There were at least 2,684 people in Louisiana hospitals due to COVID-19 before the storm hit, the mayor’s office reports.
The storm has only intensified the pressure on the state’s health care system to tackle the virus.
“This fourth surge we went through was the most difficult one that we’ve experienced since COVID started in March 2020,” Hulefeld said. “Now we have a major hurricane that ends up being a little worse than we anticipated going into it …. So, I think staff are challenged.”
More than 100 patients have been evacuated from Ochsner and its partner facilities to safety — but officials remain wary about the pressure on hospitals to perform.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told “Good Morning America” that most medical facilities in the region are running off generators and have seen major damage to their facilities.
Criswell said her “biggest concern is still the fragility of our health care system” following the hurricane, warning that it has been “stressed from COVID-19, and the occupancy has been full.”
With two deaths reported in the region so far, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told MSNBC that he expects the death toll to go up as search and rescue efforts continue.
At a press conference on Monday, New Orleans Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Collin Arnold warned residents to stay away from the post-hurricane aftermath.
“There’s not a lot open right now, there’s not a lot of fuel resources. There are not a lot of reasons to come back,” Arnold said. “With COVID, if you get hurt while you’re here, from debris … Hospitals are strained right now, so it’s just not a good time, if you’re out of the area, to come back in.”
The storm hit New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a deadly storm that highlighted the vulnerable infrastructure of the port city. More than 1,800 people died in the storm.
After Ida, Mayor LaToya Cantrell applauded the evacuation and safety efforts of New Orleans and its people.
“We did not have another Katrina, and that’s something we should all be grateful for,” Cantrell said.
(NEW YORK) — Ida is barreling through Louisiana after making landfall in the state as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Sunday afternoon.
It was one of the strongest hurricanes on record — by both wind speed and pressure — to roar ashore in Louisiana.
Ida, now a tropical storm, is hitting on the 16-year anniversary of Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane that ravaged the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina unleashed a series of events, taking the lives of more than 1,800 people and leaving more than $100 billion worth of damage in its wake.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 30, 3:38 pm
911 service restored in New Orleans
Emergency 911 service has been restored in New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
9-1-1 emergency services have been fully restored in the @CityOfNOLA.
Please call 9-1-1 for emergencies and 3-1-1 (504-658-2299) for non-emergencies‼️
As recovery efforts get underway, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas will travel to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Tuesday morning to meet with Gov. John Bel Edwards and survey damage, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell will go to Jackson, Mississippi, Tuesday evening to meet with Gov. Tate Reeves.
Aug 30, 3:05 pm
Louisiana damage ‘catastrophic,’ governor says
In a briefing with governors and mayors affected by Hurricane Ida, President Joe Biden vowed full government support.
“We’re there to help you get back on your feet,” Biden said.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said he estimated nearly 2 million are without power.
Biden said, “We’re in close contact with local electric providers to see what they need. They are all private providers. We don’t control that, but we’re doing all we can to minimize the amount of time it is going to take to get power back up.”
In the meeting, Edwards touted the success of the levee system, saying none of them were breached. But, he added, “Damage is still catastrophic.”
Edwards said a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued seven patients from a hospital in Lafourche Parish after its roof was ripped off by the powerful winds.
Aug 30, 2:38 pm
At least 1 dead in New Orleans
At least one death has been reported in New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell said. Details have not been released.
This brings Ida’s death toll to at least two. A 60-year-old man in Ascension Parish died Sunday when a tree fell on a home, officials said.
At an emotional news conference Monday, Cantrell said the “worse-case scenario” with Ida “did not happen.”
“We did not have another Katrina … we should all be grateful,” she said.
Cantrell said New Orleans has a few collapsed buildings but not widespread destruction.
However, power is out throughout the city, 911 is not available and there are small pockets of standing water from blocked drains. The mayor stressed that residents should shelter in place.
Aug 30, 2:15 pm
Ida’s latest forecast
Ida, one of the strongest hurricanes to make landfall in Louisiana, has dropped 18 inches of rain on parts of the state.
New Orleans has been hit with 13.7 inches of rain.
Numerous flash flood warnings remain in effect across parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Ida is expected to weaken to a tropical depression Monday before bringing heavy rain and possible flooding to the Tennessee Valley Monday night through Tuesday.
By Wednesday and Thursday, the storm will hit the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. The forecast calls for 4 to 6 inches of rain and possible flash flooding.
Aug 30, 1:40 pm
Coast Guard conducting search and rescue flights
The Coast Guard is conducting search and rescue flights across the devastated Gulf Coast.
The Coast Guard is also assessing damage and working to make sure ports can reopen.
President Joe Biden is set to hold a virtual meeting Monday afternoon with FEMA and leaders from areas impacted by Ida.
Aug 30, 1:05 pm
Hospital patients evacuated
Ida significantly damaged Louisiana’s Ochsner Health system, though neither patients nor employees have been injured, hospital officials said Monday.
About 65 patients at two of Ochsner Health’s facilities have been evacuated, they said. Ochsner Health officials said they’ve also been asked to help evacuate about 100 patients from Terrebonne General Health System in Houma, Louisiana.
Aug 30, 12:45 pm
AT&T wireless at 60% in Louisiana
AT&T said its Louisiana wireless network is operating at 60%.
“We had key network facilities go offline overnight, and while some have already been restored, some facilities remain down and are inaccessible due to flooding and storm damage,” AT&T said in a statement.
Aug 30, 12:24 pm
New Orleans to evacuees: Do not return until further notice
New Orleans residents who evacuated their homes should not return until further notice, the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said.
“There is widespread debris, power remains out, and emergency services are working to respond to those still in the city,” city officials said. “We will let you know when it is safe to come home.”
If you have evacuated out of #NOLA, we request that you DO NOT RETURN until further notice. There is widespread debris, power remains out, and emergency services are working to respond to those still in the city. We will let you know when it is safe to come home. #Idapic.twitter.com/r6rSzGxLX0
Tropical Storm Ida, now about 40 miles southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, is still bringing flash flood warnings to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Monday.
Up to 18 inches of rain has pummeled Louisiana. Up to 9 inches fell in Mississippi.
A tornado watch remains in effect in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
By Tuesday, Ida will move northeast into the Tennessee River Valley.
By Wednesday night into Thursday, Ida will track into the Northeast, dropping up to 6 inches of rain. Major flooding is possible along the Interstate 95 corridor from New York City to Philadelphia.
Aug 30, 10:40 am
New Orleans airport expects all flights to be canceled
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is conducting damage assessments and said it expects all flights to be canceled Monday.
The airport added that passengers should check directly with their airlines for more information.
Aug 30, 10:29 am
Historic landmark tied to Louis Armstrong collapses
The Karnofsky Tailor Shop, a historic national landmark in New Orleans, is one of the multiple buildings that collapsed when Ida walloped the city.
The brick two-story shop, a former tailor business in the Central Business District of the city, dates back to 1913 and is where Louis Armstrong worked before embarking on his legendary jazz career.
The family that owned the shop provided a second home for Armstrong and loaned him money to purchase his first cornet, according to the National Park Service.
Aug 30, 10:17 am
Governor expects death toll to go up ‘considerably’
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told MSNBC Monday that search and rescue efforts are ongoing and he expects Ida’s death toll to “go up considerably throughout the day.”
Helicopters are surveying damage because it will take “many days” to reach Louisiana’s southern coastal areas by ground, he said.
Nearly all of southeast Louisiana is without power, the governor said. All eight major lines that feed electricity to the New Orleans area have failed.
Aug 30, 8:20 am
‘We’re a broken community right now’
The president of hard-hit Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday that all communication lines with Grand Isle were down.
Cynthia Lee Sheng said about 40 people are believed to have stayed on the barrier island, located about 100 miles south of New Orleans.
“We have lost contact with them since yesterday afternoon,” Sheng said. “We have first responder teams out there planning their strategy for today, ready to go out.”
Sheng also said there were concerns about Lafitte, Louisiana, saying officials had received reports of people trapped in their attics by high water.
“This is an area if you want to think of it like swampland, there’s alligators out there,” Sheng said.
She said rescue workers have not been able to reach the area due to darkness and downed power lines.
In addition to thousands in the area losing power, Sheng said the parish was losing pressure in its water system.
“We’ve had a lot of water main breaks,” she said. “Our water system is losing pressure and so in order to be able to fight fires, that is a very critical element. So, we’re trying to clear roads to do those water repairs.”
Sheng added, “We’re a broken community right now.”
Aug 30, 7:33 am
Over 1.1 million customers without power in 2 states
Ida, with its blustery winds and torrential rain, has left more than 1.1 million utility customers without power in Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday morning.
More than 1 million customers were without electricity in Louisiana, mostly in the southeast part of Bayou State where Ida made landfall, according to state emergency management officials.
In Mississippi, another 105,417 homes and businesses were without electricity, state officials said.
Aug 30, 5:41 am
Ida downgraded to tropical storm
About 16 hours after making landfall in Louisiana, Ida was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm early Monday morning.
As of 4 a.m. CT, Ida was moving north at 8 miles per hour with the eye of the storm located about 95 miles south-southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, and 50 miles north-northeast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The storm’s maximum sustained winds have decreased near 60 miles per hour with higher gusts, according to an advisory from the National Weather Service.
The storm surge warning has been discontinued from Morgan City to Grand Isle, Louisiana. The hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been discontinued west of Grand Isle. The hurricane warning has been replaced with a tropical storm warning from Grand Isle to the mouth of the Pearl River, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans. Storm surge and tropical storm warnings remain in effect for Grand Isle to the Alabama-Florida border, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, 16 states from Mississippi to New Jersey are still on alert for flash flooding. A flash flood watch is in place from the Gulf Coast to New Jersey.
So far, the highest rainfall total was recorded in LaPlace, Louisiana, which received 15 inches. A flash flood emergency remains in effect there, according to the National Weather Service.
Ida is forecast to rapidly weaken even more over the next day or so, becoming a tropical depression by Monday evening.
The storm will move farther inland over southeastern Louisiana early Monday and into southwestern Mississippi later in the morning. Ida is then forecast to move over central and northeastern Mississippi on Monday afternoon and evening before moving across the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Aug 30, 4:40 am
Tornado warning issued for parts of southern Mississippi
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for eastern Harrison County and northwestern Jackson County, both in southern Mississippi.
As Hurricane Ida approaches the Magnolia State, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located via radar over Biloxi in Mississippi’s Harrison County early Monday at 2:46 a.m. CT. The “tornadic thunderstorm” was moving north at 65 miles per hour, according to an alert from the National Weather Service, which urged people to “take cover now!”
“Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows,” the National Weather Service said. “If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.”
The storm could impact the Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport as well as several miles of Interstate 10 and 110 in Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado warning will remain in effect until 3:45 a.m. CT.
“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the National Weather Service warned. “Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”
Aug 30, 4:16 am
New Orleans ‘experiencing technical difficulties’ with 911 system
The emergency communications center for New Orleans said it is “experiencing technical difficulties” with its 911 system, after the city lost power due to Hurricane Ida.
“If you find yourself in an emergency, please go to your nearest fire station or approach your nearest officer,” the Orleans Parish Communication District announced via Twitter early Monday. “We will update you once this issue has been resolved.”
(IOWA) — The 27-year-old man convicted of first-degree murder in the 2018 abduction and killing of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts was sentenced on Monday afternoon to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera, an undocumented farmworker from Mexico, was sentenced after a victim impact statement from Tibbetts’ mother, Laura Calderwood, was read in court by a victim advocate from the Iowa State Attorney General’s Office.
“I come here to give a voice to our daughter, granddaughter, sister, girlfriend, niece, cousin and friend, Mollie Cecilia Tibbetts,” Calderwood wrote. “Mollie was a young woman who simply wanted to go for a quiet run on the evening of July 18 (2018) and you chose to violently and sadistically end that life.”
“Because of your act, Mollie’s father, Rob, will never get to walk his only daughter down the aisle,” she wrote. “Because of your act, Mr. Rivera, I will never get to see my daughter become a mother.”
Both Bahena Rivera and his attorneys declined to make a statement.
Poweshiek County District Court Judge Joel Yates announced the life sentence, and the punishment also includes an order for Bahena Rivera to pay the Tibbetts family $150,000 in restitution.
“Mr. Bahena Rivera, you and you alone forever changed the lives of those who loved Mollie Tibbetts,” Yates said.
Yates ordered that Bahena Rivera be immediately transferred to the Iowa Department of Corrections Medical and Classification Center to begin his sentence.
Bahena Rivera was convicted in May by a jury that deliberated for seven hours over two days.
Yates postponed the sentencing date after Bahena Rivera requested a new trial based on his and his attorneys’ claim that he was framed for Tibbetts’ slaying by the real killers.
Yates denied the motion for a new trial this month following a hearing in July. In his ruling, Yates wrote, “providing an alternative suspect is only a useful strategy when it is believable.”
The 20-year-old Tibbetts vanished on July 18, 2018, while out for a jog in her hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa. The case drew national attention as the search for Tibbetts went on for a month and a reward fund for information about her whereabouts ballooned to nearly $400,000.
Tibbetts’ body was recovered from a cornfield in Poweshiek County District after Bahena Rivera led investigators to the remains.
During Bahena Rivera’s trial, the jury heard two wildly contrasting theories of what happened to Tibbetts.
Iowa police investigators testified that they questioned Bahena Rivera after his car, a black Chevrolet Malibu, was captured on surveillance video circling the neighborhood in Brooklyn at the time Tibbetts was last seen alive jogging in the area.
During a lengthy interview, investigators testified that Bahena Rivera allegedly told them he saw Tibbetts jogging and thought she was “hot.” They said he claimed to have followed Tibbetts, gotten out of his car and jogged alongside her, but she rejected his advance and threatened to call the police.
Investigators said Tibbetts was stabbed repeatedly but that Bahena Rivera told them he blacked out and did not recall attacking her. He said he later remembered putting Tibbetts’ body in the trunk of his car when he noticed her earbuds in his lap while he was driving. He claimed, according to investigators, that he drove to the cornfield and buried Tibbetts body under leaves.
In a stunning twist, Bahena Rivera, who speaks little English, testified in his own defense at his trial, claiming he was kidnapped by two masked and armed men, who forced him to drive to where Tibbetts was jogging and one of them killed her and put her body in his car’s trunk.
He claimed he put Tibbetts’ body in the cornfield, but did not go to the police because the kidnappers threatened to harm his ex-girlfriend, the mother of his young daughter, if he spoke to authorities.
(WASHINGTON) — The Education Department on Monday launched civil rights investigations into five states that have barred indoor masking mandates, alleging that the governors are creating an unsafe learning environment for students with disabilities at heightened risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
It’s an aggressive new legal tack from the Biden administration to challenge Republican governors who insist indoor mask mandates don’t work.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found that schools are generally safe if students and staff universally wear masks. School districts who struggled with COVID-19 outbreaks this year – oftentimes sending thousands of kids home – typically did not require masks.
The investigations focus on Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah. The Education Department says it is not including Florida, Texas, Arkansas and Arizona at this time “because those states’ bans on universal indoor masking are not currently being enforced as a result of court orders or other state actions.”
(KABUL, Afghanistan) — Chaos has enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government collapsed and the Taliban seized control, all but ending America’s 20-year campaign as it began: under Taliban rule.
Officials said the terror group ISIS-K carried out what the Pentagon called a “complex attack” outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Thursday, killing at least 13 American service members and wounding 20, among scores of Afghan casualties.
When President Joe Biden sat down with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos for an exclusive one-on-one interview at the White House last week, the president’s first interview since the withdrawal from Afghanistan, he warned of the threat of attacks on the ground.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 30, 12:20 pm
Final hours of US troop withdrawal ‘particularly dangerous time’
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said “the threat remains high, and it remains real” outside Karzai International Airport airport in Kabul as the U.S. military faces its final hours ahead of President Biden’s Aug. 31 deadline for a full military withdrawal. He said threats were “active and in many cases still specific.”
“Non-combat evacuation operations are dangerous, period,” Kirby said. “The end of them, particularly one in that, in an environment that we can’t consider, clearly cannot consider permissive, are particularly dangerous.”
“We are in a particularly dangerous time now,” he added. “Not that it hasn’t always been dangerous, but it is particularly dangerous now.”
Kirby repeatedly declined to provide specific details about the withdrawal’s final hours but did say the military had the ability to evacuate people “until the very end.”
He said “yes” he was sure all troops would be out by the deadline but declined to say exactly what time the deadline would be — whether it was Kabul time, or otherwise.
He also wouldn’t say whether the U.S. planned to leave behind the U.S. military’s anti-projectile C-RAM defense system.
“Commanders are in-flowing and out-flowing those requirements needed to complete the mission,” he said.
Aug 30, 10:31 am
ISIS-K claims rocket strike on Kabul airport: SITE
ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the attack that targeted Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul with six Katyusha rockets on Sunday, according to a communique issued by ISIS-K on Monday and translated by SITE Intelligence Group.
ISIS-K claimed the rocket landed with “direct hits.”
The message comes just before nightfall in Kabul and one day before Biden’s Aug. 31 military withdrawal deadline from Afghanistan.
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News late Sunday that it appeared that as many as five rockets were fired toward the airport in Kabul. There were no signs of casualties at the time, and White House press secretary Jen Psaki issued a statement early Monday stressing that U.S. operations would continue uninterrupted.
ISIS-K also claimed responsibility for last week’s suicide bomber attack outside the airport which left 13 U.S. service members and 169 Afghans dead.
Over the weekend, the U.S. struck two ISIS-K targets in Afghanistan, including a person believed to be planning future attacks. An Afghan health official reported that in one of those strikes, six Afghan civilians were also killed, including four children.
Aug 30, 7:59 am
US, allies evacuate 1,250 people from Kabul in past 24 hours
The United States has evacuated and facilitated the evacuation of some 116,700 people from Kabul since Aug. 14, when the Taliban closed in on Afghanistan’s capital, according to a White House official.
In a 24-hour period from Sunday to Monday, 26 U.S. military flights carried approximately 1,200 evacuees out of Kabul. Another 50 people were evacuated via two coalition aircraft. During the previous 24-hour period, about 2,900 people were evacuated.
Since the end of July, approximately 122,300 people have been relocated from Kabul via U.S. military and coalition flights, the White House official said.
Aug 30, 7:23 am
Americans are not being turned away at Kabul airport, ambassador says
The evacuation effort in Kabul remains a “high-risk operation,” according to Ross Wilson, the acting U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. But he denied that Americans are being turned away by U.S. forces or embassy personnel at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
“This is a high-risk operation,” Wilson wrote on Twitter early Monday. “Claims that American citizens have been turned away or denied access to HKIA by Embassy staff or US Forces are false.”
Several Republican lawmakers and other critics have accused the Biden administration of refusing to admit U.S. citizens at the airport in Kabul and leaving them behind.
The U.S. Department of State said Sunday that 250 Americans were still seeking to get out of Afghanistan. They have been given specific instructions on when or how to enter Hamid Karzai International Airport, although that journey is still fraught and dangerous. All airport gates are closed and the security threat there remains high.
Aug 30, 1:16 am
US anti-missile system fired to intercept rockets at Kabul airport
There are no signs of casualties Sunday night after five rockets were fired toward Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, a U.S. official told ABC News.
The official said the U.S. military’s anti-projectile C-RAM fired to intercept the incoming rockets, though it is not yet clear how many it took out, if any.
The airport remains operational and flights are continuing, the official added.
Aug 30, 1:16 am
Multiple rockets fired in attack on Kabul airport
As many as five rockets were fired toward Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul Sunday evening, a U.S. official confirms to ABC News.
ABC News is still trying to assess whether there were any casualties inside the airport, whether the airport’s defensive counter rocket, artillery, and mortar system was used, and if there were any U.S. counter strikes against suspected launch positions.
Aug 29, 8:55 pm
Former acting FEMA administrator to lead Afghan refugee resettlement
Bob Fenton, the former acting Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator, is set to lead the efforts to resettle Afghans who are coming to the U.S., the Department of Homeland Security said Sunday.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas chose Fenton after President Joe Biden tasked the agency to lead the federal coordinating efforts.
The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement the resettling group will report directly to Mayorkas and will include a plethora of services from immigration processing to COVID-19 testing.
“The Department of Homeland Security is prepared to serve as the lead federal agency coordinating efforts across the federal government to welcome vulnerable Afghans to our Nation in a way that is consistent with our laws and our values,” Mayorkas said in a statement.
The “Unified Coordination Group” will work with Homeland Security’s partners in state and local governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.
(NEW YORK) — Ida is barreling through Louisiana after making landfall in the state as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Sunday afternoon.
It was one of the strongest hurricanes on record — by both wind speed and pressure — to roar ashore in Louisiana.
Ida, now a tropical storm, is hitting on the 16-year anniversary of Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane that ravaged the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina unleashed a series of events, taking the lives of more than 1,800 people and leaving more than $100 billion worth of damage in its wake.
Here are the latest developments. All times Eastern:
Aug 30, 12:45 pm
AT&T wireless at 60% in Louisiana
AT&T said its Louisiana wireless network is operating at 60%.
“We had key network facilities go offline overnight, and while some have already been restored, some facilities remain down and are inaccessible due to flooding and storm damage,” AT&T said in a statement.
Aug 30, 12:24 pm
New Orleans to evacuees: Do not return until further notice
New Orleans residents who evacuated their homes should not return until further notice, the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness said.
“There is widespread debris, power remains out, and emergency services are working to respond to those still in the city,” city officials said. “We will let you know when it is safe to come home.”
If you have evacuated out of #NOLA, we request that you DO NOT RETURN until further notice. There is widespread debris, power remains out, and emergency services are working to respond to those still in the city. We will let you know when it is safe to come home. #Idapic.twitter.com/r6rSzGxLX0
Tropical Storm Ida, now about 40 miles southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, is still bringing flash flood warnings to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama on Monday.
Up to 18 inches of rain has pummeled Louisiana. Up to 9 inches fell in Mississippi.
A tornado watch remains in effect in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
By Tuesday, Ida will move northeast into the Tennessee River Valley.
By Wednesday night into Thursday, Ida will track into the Northeast, dropping up to 6 inches of rain. Major flooding is possible along the Interstate 95 corridor from New York City to Philadelphia.
Aug 30, 10:40 am
New Orleans airport expects all flights to be canceled
The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is conducting damage assessments and said it expects all flights to be canceled Monday.
The airport added that passengers should check directly with their airlines for more information.
Aug 30, 10:29 am
Historic landmark tied to Louis Armstrong collapses
The Karnofsky Tailor Shop, a historic national landmark in New Orleans, is one of the multiple buildings that collapsed when Ida walloped the city.
The brick two-story shop, a former tailor business in the Central Business District of the city, dates back to 1913 and is where Louis Armstrong worked before embarking on his legendary jazz career.
The family that owned the shop provided a second home for Armstrong and loaned him money to purchase his first cornet, according to the National Park Service.
Aug 30, 10:17 am
Governor expects death toll to go up ‘considerably’
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told MSNBC Monday that search and rescue efforts are ongoing and he expects Ida’s death toll to “go up considerably throughout the day.”
Helicopters are surveying damage because it will take “many days” to reach Louisiana’s southern coastal areas by ground, he said.
Nearly all of southeast Louisiana is without power, the governor said. All eight major lines that feed electricity to the New Orleans area have failed.
Aug 30, 8:20 am
‘We’re a broken community right now’
The president of hard-hit Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Monday that all communication lines with Grand Isle were down.
Cynthia Lee Sheng said about 40 people are believed to have stayed on the barrier island, located about 100 miles south of New Orleans.
“We have lost contact with them since yesterday afternoon,” Sheng said. “We have first responder teams out there planning their strategy for today, ready to go out.”
Sheng also said there were concerns about Lafitte, Louisiana, saying officials had received reports of people trapped in their attics by high water.
“This is an area if you want to think of it like swampland, there’s alligators out there,” Sheng said.
She said rescue workers have not been able to reach the area due to darkness and downed power lines.
In addition to thousands in the area losing power, Sheng said the parish was losing pressure in its water system.
“We’ve had a lot of water main breaks,” she said. “Our water system is losing pressure and so in order to be able to fight fires, that is a very critical element. So, we’re trying to clear roads to do those water repairs.”
Sheng added, “We’re a broken community right now.”
Aug 30, 7:33 am
Over 1.1 million customers without power in 2 states
Ida, with its blustery winds and torrential rain, has left more than 1.1 million utility customers without power in Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday morning.
More than 1 million customers were without electricity in Louisiana, mostly in the southeast part of Bayou State where Ida made landfall, according to state emergency management officials.
In Mississippi, another 105,417 homes and businesses were without electricity, state officials said.
Aug 30, 5:41 am
Ida downgraded to tropical storm
About 16 hours after making landfall in Louisiana, Ida was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm early Monday morning.
As of 4 a.m. CT, Ida was moving north at 8 miles per hour with the eye of the storm located about 95 miles south-southwest of Jackson, Mississippi, and 50 miles north-northeast of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The storm’s maximum sustained winds have decreased near 60 miles per hour with higher gusts, according to an advisory from the National Weather Service.
The storm surge warning has been discontinued from Morgan City to Grand Isle, Louisiana. The hurricane and tropical storm warnings have been discontinued west of Grand Isle. The hurricane warning has been replaced with a tropical storm warning from Grand Isle to the mouth of the Pearl River, including Lake Pontchartrain, Lake Maurepas and metropolitan New Orleans. Storm surge and tropical storm warnings remain in effect for Grand Isle to the Alabama-Florida border, according to the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, 16 states from Mississippi to New Jersey are still on alert for flash flooding. A flash flood watch is in place from the Gulf Coast to New Jersey.
So far, the highest rainfall total was recorded in LaPlace, Louisiana, which received 15 inches. A flash flood emergency remains in effect there, according to the National Weather Service.
Ida is forecast to rapidly weaken even more over the next day or so, becoming a tropical depression by Monday evening.
The storm will move farther inland over southeastern Louisiana early Monday and into southwestern Mississippi later in the morning. Ida is then forecast to move over central and northeastern Mississippi on Monday afternoon and evening before moving across the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Aug 30, 4:40 am
Tornado warning issued for parts of southern Mississippi
The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for eastern Harrison County and northwestern Jackson County, both in southern Mississippi.
As Hurricane Ida approaches the Magnolia State, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located via radar over Biloxi in Mississippi’s Harrison County early Monday at 2:46 a.m. CT. The “tornadic thunderstorm” was moving north at 65 miles per hour, according to an alert from the National Weather Service, which urged people to “take cover now!”
“Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows,” the National Weather Service said. “If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris.”
The storm could impact the Gulfport–Biloxi International Airport as well as several miles of Interstate 10 and 110 in Mississippi, according to the National Weather Service. The tornado warning will remain in effect until 3:45 a.m. CT.
“Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter,” the National Weather Service warned. “Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is likely.”
Aug 30, 4:16 am
New Orleans ‘experiencing technical difficulties’ with 911 system
The emergency communications center for New Orleans said it is “experiencing technical difficulties” with its 911 system, after the city lost power due to Hurricane Ida.
“If you find yourself in an emergency, please go to your nearest fire station or approach your nearest officer,” the Orleans Parish Communication District announced via Twitter early Monday. “We will update you once this issue has been resolved.”
(NEW YORK) — The European Union on Monday encouraged members to reinstate travel restrictions for visitors from the United States, as Americans deal with a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
The U.S. on Monday was removed from the E.U.’s so-called “safe list” of countries for which travel restrictions (such as quarantine and testing requirements) were recommended to be gradually lifted. As a result, the E.U. is encouraging its 27-member nations to restrict non-essential travel from U.S. visitors.
The recommendation, notably, is not binding and the authorities of each member state remain responsible for implementing the recommendations.
Israel, Kosovo, Lebanon, Montenegro, and the Republic of North Macedonia were also removed from the “safe list” on Monday.
The latest guidance reverses course from June when much of Europe began to welcome American tourists after over a year of pandemic-related travel restrictions. The U.S. has since dealt with an outbreak of the more-contagious delta variant that has caused new case counts to soar across the country. On Friday, the U.S. reported 176,742 new cases, and a 7-day moving average of some 147,030 new cases per day, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.
Just 63.3% of Americans age 18 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-10, according to CDC data. In the European Union, 67.4% of adults over the age of 18 have been fully vaccinated.
Travelers from Europe, meanwhile, are still largely barred from entering the U.S.
(WASHINGTON) — The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads. More than 637,000 Americans have died from COVID-19 while over 4.5 million people have died from the disease worldwide, according to real-time data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.
Just 61.2% of Americans ages 12 and up are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Aug 30, 11:48 am
Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization drops, CDC says
The COVID-19 vaccines’ ability to keep people out of the hospital appears to be dropping slightly, particularly for those 75 and older, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday during an advisory panel.
The CDC has previously estimated that 97% of people in the hospital being treated for COVID-19 are unvaccinated, but that data was collected before the spread of delta, a hyper-transmissible variant that many doctors have warned appears to be making people sicker.
The latest CDC analysis estimates that the ability of the COVID vaccines to keep a person out of the hospital is now between 75% to 95%.
For people older than 75 in particular, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization experienced the steepest decline, from more than 90% to 80% between June and July.
Health experts are also concerned that a person’s immunity could be waning over time, particularly among older people whose bodies are less likely than younger people to develop a strong immune response to the vaccines.
However, the vaccine still remains highly effective at preventing serious illness, according to the briefing.
