Two Weeks After Hurricane Ida, Tens Of Thousands in Louisiana Are Still Without Power

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Hurricane Ida’s unrelenting winds spared few structures when it blasted ashore on August 29 as a category 4 storm. Weeks later, clean-up is immense and, for many, power is still out.

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And because this trailer is relatively intact it is bursting at the seams. The neighbors, whose place was destroyed, have moved in. That’s two kids, both parents, and an ailing grandmother who sits on the couch clutching her walker with a look of blank exhaustion. Ten people in all, stuffed into this single-wide trailer, with just one bathroom.

The neighbor couple and their young daughter have moved into the kid’s room

«Grandma sleeps in the couch and her son sleep in the recliner,» says Lopez of her neighbor’s mother and grandson. «We use the other room, there’s a king sized bed there, so I sleep with my mom and my two kids and my husband is using a single mattress that we put everyday there.»

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Ivan Velazquez and Leydi Lopez’s home mostly held together during the hurricane. The roof is in tatters and some of the siding is damaged. But they’ve got a generator and they’re neighbors are staying with them. Ten people in all as they make repairs.

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«On the road almost every day, I see accidents, bad accidents.»

A few days before he saw a hit-and-run on US-90, and saw the victim dead on the side of the road.

Lopez and Velazquez are grateful at least to have their own little refuge here. A block up the desolate lane Clair McGowan’s place has fallen off its six-foot concrete columns. It sags sideways, dark, damp and precarious. McGowan and her husband have been living in the relative comfort of his sister’s place, though it too lacks power, and even water was an issue.

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The damage across southeastern Louisiana after Hurricane Ida was uneven. Some homes were completely obliterated. Others had minor damage. Claire McGowan’s place was knocked off its six-foot concrete columns.

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The city of Galliano, La. is still recovering after Hurricane Ida ripped through the southeastern part of the state on August 29. In addition to the destruction, more than 100,000 homes and businesses are still without power.

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The city of Galliano, La. is still recovering after Hurricane Ida ripped through the southeastern part of the state on August 29. In addition to the destruction, more than 100,000 homes and businesses are still without power.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

• hurricane ida
• power outages
• Louisiana