‘Catastrophic transmission damage’: New Orleans plunges into darkness after Hurricane Ida leaves city with NO power

The entire city of New Orleans in Louisiana has plunged into near-total darkness after all power in the city went out due to Hurricane Ida, feared to become one of the strongest storms to hit the state since the 1850s.

Hurricane Ida, which has been downgraded to Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 115 mph (193 km/h), has caused a citywide blackout in New Orleans, with residents now having to rely only on generators for power.

Eerie footage from a high-rise in downtown New Orleans posted by Washington Post National Correspondent Tim Craig shows dim lights flickering in some of the windows.

View from Downtown New Orleans from 24th floor, looking out toward French Quarter. (And in this darkness, all residents just got emergency flood warning alerts on their phones) pic.twitter.com/Hjf5llrHSG

— Tim Craig (@timcraigpost) August 30, 2021

The City of New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness issued an alert around 7p.m. on Sunday, stating that the outage was due to “catastrophic transmission damage.”

@EntergyNOLA has confirmed that New Orleans has no power. The only power in the city is coming from generators. #Ida pic.twitter.com/9clSeFcz3T

— NOLA Ready (@nolaready) August 30, 2021

As of Sunday evening, some 742,000 customers were left without power in the state.

Via @PowerOutage_us: 700,000+ without power in Louisiana due to #HurricaneIda. #Ida #TrackingIda @FOX8NOLA pic.twitter.com/VFMPTgcdLB

— Cody Lillich (@CodyLillich) August 29, 2021

It's unclear when the power supply will be restored. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told The Associated Press on Sunday that the hurricane is expected to be “much stronger than we usually see.”

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WATCH Hurricane Ida make landfall on Louisiana coast with 150mph winds and devastating surge

Ida made its landfall on the Gulf Coast around midday on Sunday as a category 4 hurricane, lashing the state with winds of 150mph (240km/h). About two hours later the hurricane made its second landfall southwest of Galliano. 

The storm has already wrought havoc, knocking down trees, turning streets into rivers as water surged in coastal areas. 

Really horrible flooding here in LaPlace, LA at 6pm. Pressure down to 982.2mb. Now trapped by the floodwaters at the Motel 6 but safe and have high ground. #lawx #wxtwitter #HurricaneIda @spann pic.twitter.com/WEPdSaYL5T

— Weather Intercepts (@Wx_Intercepts) August 29, 2021

Surge from Lake Pontchartrain getting up close to many businesses in LaPlace, #Louisiana, hwy 51. #Hurricane #Ida continues to bear down on us. #HurricaneIda pic.twitter.com/DjTq8gCJ0I

— Palmetto State Chasers (@PalmettoChasers) August 29, 2021

Residents were advised to evacuate several days ahead of the hit. Those who did not manage to flee the state by Sunday were urged to shelter in place for 24 hours. With Edwards warning that Ida is on course to become one of Lousina’s worst hurricanes since the 1850s, parallels have been drawn between the current storm and the devastating Hurricane Katrina that left catastrophic damage in its wake, killing more than 1,800 people that ravaged New Orleans and surrounding areas in 2005.

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