that there are downed trees and power lines and debris and standing water on many roadways in southeast louisiana. as of 2:30 2:30 today, there were just shy of 2000 people sheltered in 36 different locations across louisiana. for the latest shelter information, text "la shelter" or you can call 211. i have to keep reminding people that if we like it or not, we are still in a covid environment and it is a very difficult covid environment. 100% of our cases today are attributable to the delta variant, which is highly transmissible. please make sure you are as safe as possible, wherever you are and whatever you are doing, and the sheltering operations and transportation operations, everything we are doing and needs to be done with covid in mind. it is important we mask, that we distance and wash our hands. do all of these things to the maximum extent possible. last night, president biden approved my request for a major disaster declaration. we made the request yesterday for lunch and he approved it last night. i want to thank him for his prompt attention and favorable response to that request. spec

so some parishes in southeast louisiana - leave?e . leave? so some parishes in - southeast louisiana have issued mandatory evacuations. some of those are location specific within the parish, so if you are outside the levee system, than the evacuation is mandatory, but if you're inside, then it's not. i've been very satisfied with the amount of communication from the local national weather service office and the hurricane centre. this is something people have been talking about for days, this isn't anything that's coming as a surprise to anyone in southeast louisiana, and the hazards associated with this have been very well communicated and forecast. so people are complying and following the order? it people are complying and following the order? if you go out on the — following the order? if you go out on the interstate - following the order? if you go out on the interstate right - out on the interstate right now, you'll see them. so there's the traffic to show that people are listening. it’s that people are listening. it's at a tot

especially in the low-lying areas in southeast louisiana, along the coast.hose that are not protected by our much enhanced hurricane and storm risk reduction system, the one you mentioned a while ago, where there has been about a $14 billion investment since hurricane katrina over the past 16 years. all of our modeling shows that the most populous parts of southeast louisiana inside that system are going to be protected from storm surge. you still have wind threat and rain threat as well. it is really south along the coast. we think an awful lot of people did evacuate, but this is a very difficult storm. as you mentioned, it is going to come in with sustained winds of over 150 miles per hour. so there is virtually no difference between a very, very strong cat 4or a cat 5 storm. so we're absolutely doing everything we can now to get people to take those last-minute steps. we asked people to make sure when they went to bed last night, they were prepared to ride out the storm and they would go to bed where they intended to ride out the storm. >> bottom line, th

flash flood watches in emergency still in place for sections of southeast louisiana but now they're reallytarting to expand in areas of the tennessee valley and deep south. so the flash flood risk for the next three days, is still very high across this section of the country, and it will continue into the east coast. flash flood watches in place for 14 million people, throughout the overnight. but expect that to really expands and potentially some flash flood warnings, for those will go into a place. i'm really concerned about these bands that are currently making their way across i-ten, some hopefully don't have people on the roadways, but the severe weather throughout the flood is still in place. this storm system, from day one, has been a big time rain maker, across the whole area. it did not make this turn system die down. and then when it got back into open water, of the gulf, allowed it to really gain some momentum, i know people are like hey the categories starting to go down and we are out of the woods, but just not yet because this is packing a ton of moisture and it's just not go

as the sun starts to come up, that's exactly what we're going to be looking at across southeast louisianastem is really starting to make its way into mississippi. over 60,000 people currently without power. the winds are still roaring sustained of 75 miles per hour i do think this becomes a tropical storm for your early morning hours. the problem is it's now going to go across the tennessee valley really concerned for tennessee to the nashville area. could dump a good 5 inches of rain, and then it makes its way into the northeast >>> next on "early today," the little league world champs making michigan proud this morning. your heart is at the heart of everything you do. and if you have heart failure, there's entresto. entresto helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb. the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor

so we are finally going to see a break from the wind flow and all the rain that southeast louisiana is dealing with. still i have a category 1 storm, sustained winds of 75 miles per hour the problem, when this system rushed onshore, it was going about 16 to 20 miles per hour. it dramatically slowed down, and that's what allowed for all that tropical moisture to dump in southeast louisiana. now, the problem going into the next few days, yes, it gets downgraded to a tropical storm still an area of low pressure by tomorrow but then it goes into the tennessee valley we already had about 17 inches last week in parts of nashville and tennessee. so another round of another 5 to 10 inches. this is something that we don't need then it starts to track into the northeast. we will be talking about ida for at least the next four to five days also there's the big-time severe weather threat you have these bands they're called feeder bands that are making their way into mississippi, alabama, the florida panhandle. there is tornado warnings that have been happening overnight. everything's pretty quiet

no one in southeast louisiana should be out on the roads. but if travel becomes absolutely necessary after the storm, please proceed with extreme caution. there will be hazards out there that you may experience before any law-enforcement or anybody else may be able to get to first and warn you about it. this is especially true of debris, downed power lines, and standing water. please check 511 four road closures -- for road closures and do not drive through standing water. that is how we lose a lot a people after storms. many parishes are announcing curfews as we speak. our louisianans should follow the directives from local leaders which are designed to keep us safe. and the conditions vary by parish and they have different considerations in mind, so please honor these curfews and avoid needless risk to your own safety and that of your family and keep streets clear for emergency responders. if you have evacuated, don't be tempted tomorrow to return before you know it is ok for you to do so. please contact your office of emergency preparedne

really, nobody in southeast louisiana should be out on the roads. but if travel becomes absolutely necessary after the storm, please proceed with extreme caution. there will be 45hazards out the you may experience before any law enforcement or personnel or anybody else may be able to get to you first, and warn you about it. this is especially true of debris, downed power lines and standing water. please check 5-1-1, la.org for road closures and please don't drive through standing water. that's how we lose an awful lot of people after storms. many perishes are announcing curfews as we speak. all louisianians should follow the directives of local leaders which are designed to keep us all safe. and the conditions vary by pep perish and have different needs in mind. please, again, keep streets clear for emergency responders. if you have evacuated, don't be attempting tomorrow to return before you know that it is okay for you to do so. please contact your office of emergency preparedness. monitor any announcements that they have as to whether it is the r

so if you have already evacuated, do not return here or elsewhere in southeast louisiana until the officeemergency preparedness tells you it is ready to receive you. the schools are not open. the hospitals are slammed. there's not water in your home, and there's not going to be electricity. so let's get you where you can be safe and somewhat comfortable. and if you need a hospital, we can get you to a hospital. please don't come home before they tell you that it's time. and the last thing i'm going to say before i ask the fema administrator to come up is most deaths -- right now we have two confirmed deaths across southeast louisiana because of the storm. i expect that number is going to rise. but historically we know that most people are injured and killed because of the response. not the storm itself. carbon monook oxide generator, using power equipment that you aren't accustom to. falling off a roof when you're cleaning up, and heat exhaustion. it's going to be -- heat index will be 100 for the next two weeks. and -- at this point in time, even though i told you 80% of the rescues that

do not return here or elsewhere in southeast louisiana until the office of emergency preparedness tellseceive you. the hospitals are slammed and there's not water in your home and there's not going to be electricity. so let's get you where you can be safe and somewhat comfortable and if you need a hospital we can get you to a hospital. please don't come home before they tell you that it's time, and the last thing i'm going to say before i ask the fema administrator to come up is most deaths, right now we have two confirmed deaths in southeast louisiana because of the storm. i expect that number will rise, but historically, we know that most people are injured and killed because of the response, not the storm itself. carbon monoxide poisoning from generators and driving through water that turns out to be deeper or having more current than we realized and falling off roofs when you're cleaning up and heat exhaustion. it's going to be -- heat indexes will be 100 degrees for the next two weeks and -- >> no deaths. >> at this point in time, even though i told you 80% of the rescues were done

gulf port mississippi thank you. >>> let's go to kelly chandler, the regional director of the southeast louisiana flood protection authority. kelly, thank you for joining me. big word to focus on is flood. a major return for many louisiana respects. talk about what you have done to try to combat in anticipation of ida, the amount of flood water you would have to be dealing with? >> first of all, it is not lost on us that today is the anniversary of hurricane katrina, a storm that changed this area forever. but i think it is very important for everybody in this region to know that we are much better protected than we were during katrina. the levees are strong e they are higher. there is much greater protection today than there was 16 years ago. the army corps of engineers has spent $14.6 billion improving our flood defense system. and we feel very strongly confident that the system will perform as designed. we may have some local street flooding. we will have widespread power outages. we have already started experiencing that. we are on generator power. but we are much better protected from storm

communication is really difficult and there's no service, no electricity across a huge swathe southeast louisianasiana governor i understand i louisiana. the louisiana l governor i understand has louisiana. the louisiana - governor i understand has put it in stark terms saying that there is no timeline for when they can go back home. what is been the reaction in the local community to this?— community to this? right, i would say _ community to this? right, i would say that _ community to this? right, i would say that you're - community to this? right, i would say that you're in - would say that you're in louisiana, i think people are just kind of coming together i was at home in louisiana yesterday and it is reallyjust people trying to help each other and there is no power, there is no cell service, there is no internet and it's really just people coming together to try to help each other. certainly people who are in these disaster areas, i think a lot of them totally understand that not everyone has the resources or the means to be able to evacuate when the stomach this is coming and so, right b

but that's true for most of the southeast louisiana. we're up to getting close to 800,000 outages. not unexpected when you have winds that come in at 150 miles per hour. and so this storm, as you mentioned, is everything that was advertised in terms of the wind, in terms of the storm surge and quite frankly, the rain that's falling, as well. so this is a very devastating storm. >> yeah, in fact, last hour i spoke with the president in jefferson parish and she told me people were reporting water up to their chest inside their homes. what is your reaction to that? >> yeah, well, i mean, it's a very serious event and the good news is, you know, you look for good news where you can find it. our levee systems are holding up remarkably well. the hurricane risk reduction system that provides protection to the most populated portions of orleans and jefferson parish have held up. there is no over topping. most of the levees south in lafourche even have held up very well. you mentioned an isolated area down in plaquemine's parish on the east bank. that area that happens quite frequently with

communication is really difficult no service, no electricity in southeast louisiana. ey can go back home — what has been the reaction to this? i would say people are just coming together. i wasn't home in louisiana yesterday and it's religious people trying to help each other there yesterday and it's religious people trying to help each othe- trying to help each other there is no power. _ trying to help each other there is no power. no _ trying to help each other there is no power, no cell— trying to help each other there is no power, no cell service, - trying to help each other there is no power, no cell service, no - no power, no cell service, no internet. and it's religious people coming together to try to help each other and there are people who are in these disaster areas that i think a lot of them understand that not everyone has the resources or the means to be able to evacuate with something like this is coming and he was right by the eye of the storm when it went over and there are still a lot of people there yesterday they�* re still a lot of people there yes

any the bayous and swamps of southeast louisiana, film maker monique verdin explores her native houmas. >> i want to keep living on our land but i am inheriting the dying delta. our love ties us to this place that makes us feel responsible to care for it. >> they are battling the deadliest storm yet. the explosive growth in the area below it. >> [indiscernible] >> we have been treated bad throughout the years, but this could destroy our tribes. amy: that's the trailer for the pbs documentary "my louisiana love" coproduced by our guest monique verdin, a citizen of the united houma nation who has evacuated for hurricane ida. she's also part of the collaborative "another gulf is possible," which is now organizing mutual aid efforts to provide essential needs, repairs, and supplies to the areas hit by hurricane ida. monique, thank you for joining us. i know this is a very difficult time. can you explain the extent of the devastation you hearing about not only in houma, but all over the area? a million people without power. people reporting their up to their chest in water. >> well, amy, w

>> we are dealing with a destructive and deadly storm system and it's dark across southeast louisiana, and we saw the storm make landfall eight hours ago and it's downgraded to a cat 3. can you see that we're dealing with severe weather tonight, even across portions of new orleans into baton rouge. the problem is this storm has not lost its force just yet and the winds will continue to be an issue along with flash flooding. i do want to mention we still have the eye of the storm system that continues to make its way across the area, but the problem is that throughout the night we're seeing bursts of gusts right now getting reports of 90-mile-per-hour winds coming out of new orleans and the track still going to be a problem even for the baton rouge area. the latest track from the national hurricane center, we do have sustained winds of 110 miles per hour, and that's over eight hours ago the storm roared in with 150-mile-per-hour winds, so it has not died down very much. joshua, the issue is that we have seen a dramatic slowdown, and coming out of the north northwest at 9 miles per hour

this is going to be prolonged moisture and the problem is it's not just impacting southeast louisiana right now. now it is starting to go into parts of mississippi and the panhandle of florida. into alabama as well. these are allowing severe weather as well to spark up and we've had tornado warnings now in place across central mississippi. and that is going to last for at least ten more minutes. yes it has been downgraded the impacts are still the same. st. john's parish is really a concern right now as we are dealing with five inch per hour rates of rainfall. that is dramatic and it will be monumental flooding across this area. just checking lake pontchartrain new orleans getting a bit of a break but we are seeing that lake rise about four feet just in the last ten hours. that is going to allow the storm surge to really be a problem. wind gusts they are not really an issue across southwest louisiana and even baton rouge getting lucky at this hour but the bulk of the quadrant of the storm system sitting in new orleans. winds have calmed down in the last hour but we are still seeing gu

there's water everywhere here for the next 12 hours in southeast louisiana. that's when we start getting into highly populated areas. we start getting into more extreme population losses with power outages. it's still going up as the tide goes out. we don't talk about louisiana. still that one to two feet can make a bit of a difference. >> how are things right now? look pretty wet and windy. >> you're exactly right. it's tough to hear you. bear with us if you ask a question here. the time of these outer bands is decreasing. that means one thing. the intense eye of that storm is getting closer to where we are. it's tough to believe in just a few minutes time we have seen the winds get as strong as they have. right now this whole entire community has been under a mandatory evacuation. this is not the kind of positions you want to be riding out with 150 miles an hour winds. with the eye approaching us here in the next several hours it's only going to get stronger. bear with me. even firefighters have taken shelter. that i had say it will be hours before they are

really, nobody in southeast louisiana should be out on the roads.ut if travel becomes absolutely necessary after the storm, please proceed with extreme caution. there will be hazards out there that you may experience before any law enforcement or d.o.t. personnel or anybody else may be able to get to first and warn you about it. this is especially true of debris, downed power lines and standing water. please check 511, la.org for road closures and please don't drive through standing water. that's how we lose an awful lot of people after storms. many parishes are announcing curfew as we speak, so all louisianafs should follow directives of local leaders which are obviously designed to keep us all safe and the conditions vary by parish and they have different considerations in mind so please honor these curfews and avoid needless risk to your own safety and that of your family and please again keep streets clear for emergency responders. if you have every actuated -- evacuated, don't attempt tomorrow to return before you know that it is okay for you t

it's been catastrophic to the people of jean lafitte, crown point, all of southeast louisiana.rating the boat at this time. we try to do high water trucks. we can't get through the water. we had -- our main bridge going to a big portion of our community of 1,500 people, most of them evacuated. we have about 300 people, 200 people still there. took out that bridge. we can't get to them by vehicle. >> the whole bridge was taken out? >> the whole bridge was taken out. our levees were topped -- surge levees were topped. that was within -- they had the school system, the government buggs and hundreds of homes. this never happened before. all the outside areas were just hit so hard. >> has there ever been a storm there that has overtopped a levee? >> yeah, it overtopped the levee. it overtopped all the levees. but this one's our highest one. we've suffered flooding before. we suffered storms before. but i've never seen water like this in my life. it just hit us in the worst way possible and it was such a massive storm that it just totally devastated us. >> and these reports of people

we worked it really hard across southeast louisiana.up with search and rescue, we rescued 348 people, 48 pets, and were able to get those folks to safety. we have currently, you know, a little over 5100 guardsmen that are deployed across louisiana in 29 parishes and we're getting more help from 13 states here from other national guards and i would like to thank the governors, adjutant governors from the other states as well as the national guard bureau for helping us out as well as the active duty service for doing it as well with the army, navy, air force, and marines. holistically we got a tremendous team assembled. lots of resources we can pour into louisiana to meet the needs to save lives, prevent human suffering, and protect infrastructure. >> you said 348 people, 48 pets. you had 5100 guardsmen. >> yes, sir. >> 29 parishes. do you know how many more people still need help tonight? are you still trying to figure that out and get to folks? >> well, right now, you know, that is the louisiana national guard's numbers, don. if we had

these are the last good-weather hours left for preparations in southeast louisiana. as of this evening and during the overnight, the rain bands will continue to crease. tomorrow morning it'll be pouring. it's going to rain a lot with this storm too. you can see the clear eye of the storm just to the north-northeast, that's a category 2 hurricanes. it's still trying to strengthen. it hasn't gone crazy today, but it still has 18 hours over warm water. we think it's going to be become a major hurricane later tonight and may make landfall as a strong category 3. not much of a different between the two. the hurricane center has it a 130-mile-per-hour landfall. if you're going to have 130-mile-an-hour winds, that's tornadic-type winds. extreme wind damage. then storm will weaken as it heads north. even if baton rouge we could have significant tree damage and power outages. new orleans, you're maybe just far enough away to not have significant wind damage from this storm. the landfall is west of grand isle. it could be as far west as morgan city or as far east as grand isle

the vast majority of these resources will be focused on southeast louisiana. we also have 19 paratransit buses, and they've already been assisting in the evacuation of a number of nursing homes. we will have another 37, 38 more coaches on hand by monday. it is important to note the debris on the roadway and how water can occur at any time during the storm because of the impact of the wind and flood waters. d.o.t. crews may not be able to get to these locations to erect signs and barricades and provide warning before motorists experience these things. so please be mindful of this. don't drive unless you have to once the weather gets bad. when there's water on the road and you're not 100% certain you know exactly how deep it is and what the current is, do not drive through it. turn around. don't drown. you should treat every downed power line as if it's live and deadly. i can tell you that the cpra is tracking 692 gates across the coastal zone. as of this morning's briefing, 246 of those gates were closed. and that's up considerably from yesterday's report. but

these are the last good hours left for preparations for southeast louisiana. as of this evening and overnight the rain bands will continue to increase and tomorrow morning it will be pouring. it's going to rain a lot with this storm too. more on that in a second. you can see the clear eye to the north, northeast, northwest of number 2, it still has 18 hours over very warm water. we still think it's going to be become a major hurricane later tonight and may make landfall as a category 3 or a category 4, not much difference between the two. it will land at grand isle, louisiana and head toward houma. then the storm will begin to weaken as it heads northward, still a category 1 by the time it gets to baton rouge. in baton rouge we could have significant tree damage and power outage. new orleans, just far away not to have significant wind damage from this storm. our computer models are in pretty good agreement, landfall could be as far west as morgan city or as far east as grand isle. the storm surge is pretty much set in stone and along with it, the heavy rain. i

>> reporter: some of the hardest hit areas of southeast louisiana are still nearly impossible to reach captured by several dozen people that didn't evacuate and stuck on the island. >> seeping in from all the doors, all the close sets. >> reporter: dominique thomas is bracing for weeks of recovery but can't stop thinking about the eight brutal hours her family endured through the storm. >> the doors were rocking back and forth. the windows were shaking. it was just a matter of time before you felt like everything would go right off. >> that was ed lauvandera reporting. now she joins me by phone, president of st. john the baptist parish was the hardest hit area in the state and where he is right now. thanks so much for being with me. we heard you calling this the worst disaster that you've ever seen in your community. tell me about what you're seeing, the devastation on the ground. >> thank you, erin. thank you so much for having me. and not only were those my words but, you know, our president and the governor have both called this one of america's great disasters. the devastation is h

i can tell you the people of louisiana, particularly along the coast and southeast louisiana, did a very good job of heeding the evacuation orders, both voluntary and mandatory. we have an awful lot of assets pre-positioned, whether it's linemen, whether it's national guardsmen, vehicles, helicopters, boats. we have generators on the way and supplies, and i talked to a lot of governors around the country last night. they're leaning forward to send additional assets in here as we need them and make those requests. but i will tell you, it's going to be a very, very challenging storm for our state, and it comes at a very difficult time as well. >> do you anticipate that ida could strengthen into a category 5 by the time it makes landfall? >> it's possible. the truth is, jake, there is not much difference between a very high category 4 storm and a category 5 storm. the impacts are going to be tremendous regardless. the wind speeds are projected to be within a few miles per hour of a category 5. you mentioned a while ago the storm surge now is projected to be up to 16 feet in certain areas. r

. >> reporter: the day after hurricane ida ripped through southeast louisiana, officials are warningime to get life back to normal. there are more than a million customers without electricity, and for many it could take weeks to get the power restored. water systems are down as well, and cell phone communication is spotty. the coming days and weeks will be long and hot. >> we are a resilient group of people. this is going to be very difficult. worst disaster that we've all seen in st. john parish. and it's going to take a long time. >> reporter: in laplace, residents say they were stunned by the storm's winds and the structural damage it caused. >> it was horrible. the wind, i've never had wind shake the house the way it did. >> reporter: debbie and ronny say after four feet of water poured into their home, the roof started to collapse. >> the ceiling started caving in. that's when i really got scared because it was like, oh, my god, is the roof going to blow off and we're going to be exposed? >> reporter: some of the hardest-hit areas of southeast louisiana are still nearly impossib

ida is slamming southeast louisiana, packing triple digit high winds and torrential rain. the category four hurricane made landfall midday. 40 people decided to ride out the storm in grand isles, defying a man tore evacuation order, officials have received multiple calls for rescue. >> first responders can not get to you so those folks are just going to have to hunker down. >> this morning hurricane hunters flew their plane into the eye of the storm and caught this stunning picture of ida building up strength. on the streets of new orleans, last minute prep came down to the wire. >> i'm just afraid that. >> 16 years to the day after katrina's devastation, mayor latoya cantrel says her city is ready. >> now is the time that we have been preparing for. >> ida is the first stress test of $14 billion in upgrades to the levee system. >> will it be tested? yes, but it was built for this moment. >> here on the south shore of lake pontchartrain we are seeing heavy winds and waves already splashing over the wall. >> the threat from ida's wind, rain and storm surge is significant. >

the vast majority of these resources will be focused on southeast louisiana.also have 19 para-transit buses, and they have already been assisting in the evacuation of a number of nursing homes. we will have another 37, 38 more coaches on hand by monday. it is important to note that debris on the roadway and high water can occur at any time during the storm because of the impact of the wind and the floodwaters. d.o.t. crews may not be able to get to these locations to erect signs and barricades and provide warning before motorists experience these things. so, please, be mindful of this. don't drive unless you have to once the weather gets bad. when there's water on the road and you're not 100% certain you know exactly how deep it is and what the current is, do not drive through it. turn around. don't drown. you should treat every downed power line as if it is live and deadly. i can tell you that the cpra is tracking 692 gates across the coastal zone. as of this morning's briefing 246 of those gates were closed. that's up considerably from yesterday's report. fo

because we are expecting up to 20 inches of rain possible in southeast louisiana, including maybe even in new orleans. so that will be another story to watch as we go through sunday evening. and then, flooding possibly through mississippi and in areas of tennessee. so, joshua, typical major landfalling hurricane, there are many aspects of it. number one killer in all these storms is usually the storm surge so hopefully everyone is already out of there as the sun sets tomorrow morning when it rises, the storm will be approaching. >> yeah, everybody who has left is pretty much already left and they will be dealing with a strong category 3, possibly marginal category 4 hurricane by tomorrow. thank you, bill. that's nbc meteorologist bill karins starting us off tonight. >>> now, let's get to the situation in afghanistan. if you are not looking at the tv right now, stop for a minute. look up. today, the pentagon identified the service members who were killed by a suicide attack on thursday. these are their names. 13 of them. it happened at a checkpoint outside the airport in kabul. the blas

it became a tropical storm is it slowed over mississippi on monday, while across southeast louisiana, residents waited for daylight to be rescued from floodwaters and see the damage from one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the u.s. mainland. all of norma's lost power around sunset on sunday, and there was pouring rain and howling winds. yesterday afternoon, the governor, john bel edwards, updated louisiana and others on the process -- progress of the storm. here is he had to say. [video clip] >> based on the hurricane track and the wind, rain, and surge forecast for the remainder of the hurricane, the cpra is anticipating some overtopping of the southeast portions of the levee system, nonfederal back levies in alliance and plaquemines parish, and nonfederal levees in lower st. bernard parish, as well. overtopping is concerning, but i want to make sure that everybody understands, overtopping and levee failure are not the same thing. a levee failure can be much more catastrophic. and so they are not the same thing. obviously, we're going to continue to monitor this protec

ele ofhidi right off.d idli surge in southeast louisiana. these before and after clips show just how fast the region flooded in roughly one hour. michael george is in new orleans with more on the destruction. michael, good morning. >> reporter: anne-marie, good morning. ida has weakened, but the danger to people is still very real. this morning people in new orleans are dealing with rising floodwaters, a city-wide power outage, and a 911 system that has shut down. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: ida's powerful winds blew the roof off this hospital as it made landfall in lafourche parish, louisiana, sunday. the storm came ashore as a category-four hurricane.acy 16r katrina hit the region. packing winds of up to 150 miles per hour, it's tied as the fifth strongest hurricane to hit the u.s. >> the storm was total devastation to our area. >> reporter: jean lafitte mayor tim kerner told wwl they're trying to get boats to reach people trapped in their homes now that the eye of the storm has passed. >> you can't -- you can't look left, right, back or f

ida is slamming southeast louisiana, packing triple digit high winds and torrential rain. of the category 4 hurricane made landfall midday near port fushon. 40 people decided to ride out the storm in grand isle, defying an evacuation order. officials received multiple calls for rescue. >> those folks are going to have to hunker down. >> reporter: this morning hurricane hunters flew their plane into the eye of th s of i buildupgth. on the streets of new orleans, the last-minute preps came down to the wire. >> i just pray -- >> reporter: 16 years to the day after katrina's devastation, mayor latoya cantrell says her city is ready. >> now is the time, and we have been preparing for. >> reporter: ida is the first stress test of $14 billion in upgrades to the levee system. >> will it be tested? yes.r:he threat fro id signi. >> we're projecting 15 to 20 inches of rain over the period of today and into tomorrow. at times exceeding a rainfall rate of 3 inches per hour. >> reporter: and conditions are expected to worsen with night fall. >> we're going to ride it out. we'll see what

and then remaining a category 4 storm for an astonishing six hours, tearing through southeast louisiana, ripping parts of the in new orleans, the new levees after katrina did hold. that was reassuring, but the city's reenforced power grid did not. tonight, more than a million customers across louisiana are without power and the utility now warning it could take weeks to restore. no way to charge phones, for many, no way to call for help. hospitals filled with covid patients have no choice but to shelter in place. this hospital, the roof torn off. oxnard health system suffering damage. tonight, the images of the coast guard, the helicopters taking off as soon as they could to try to assess the damage, out searching for people who stayed in their homes. reports some trapped in their attics for many hours. some waving to the coast guard above. tonight, we know of at least two deaths. the governor saying tonight that we should be prepared for that number to rise. and this storm is still moving across the south and then right up into the northeast. there are real concerns going into tonight

right now, we are so focused on the families in southeast louisiana, and southern mississippi, who for the last 24 hours suffered 16 hours of hurricane force winds and now we are getting that punishing rainfall over the next few hours even as it diminishing to a tropical storm. so we are focused on sheltering families. there are more than 2500plrhelt crossers on the ground, on stand by, ready to deliver service, as they're needed and we expect that number to grow to nearly a thousand by the end of the week. >> what would help you the most right now, trevor? >> so as always, financial assistance is so needed right now to make sure we have the resources in place, that we can get the workers and the supplies and the meal, the relief supplies in the hands of those who need it the most, so i would urge a donation at red cross.org and you can text red cross to 90999 and in your local communities, we have disasters all across the country right now and if you can, please go to red cross.org, sign up to be a volunteer and join us as a humanitarian. >> other than money, that's what i was thinkin

it's the biggest population in southeast louisiana about 32,000 people live there.ive that the water will hold back from that levy. i was hearing the levy is at 12 feet high. the storm surge is supposed to be 10 to 15 feet. they're getting hit by the equivalent of a powerful tornado and have to deal with the storm surge and the potential for up to 2 feet of rain. you can't picture a city with a more dire forecast than them now. new orleans on the right side of that forecast path. morgan city on the left side. yesterday we were thinking morgan city could be the devastated area and it's looking like ulna, louisiana. it will slowly weaken tomorrow. a tornado through mississippi tomorrow and watching the rainfall. as we go through the next couple of hours, the thing belle watching is the storm surge. all the winds will be oiling up the water. it will be water everywhere in southern louisiana. the bay of st. louis and mississippi is going to be a big issue with the winds blowing. all that water toward the west side of the bay it's going to be a huge problem. so we're tal

will say it's been a long time since we've seen a storm of this magnitude hit this area in southeast louisianaback in 1965. so, no one has seen a storm quite like this. and i think they may have underestimated it. >> sreenivasan: and this is a city that is in some ways still recovering from the damage that katrina did 16 years ago to the day. >> yeah, so, keep in mind, new orleans is about 50 miles from the coast, but we will get some hurricane force winds. you know, hurricane katrina, this is the 16th anniversary of it, there's a lot of anxiety with folks about this approaching storm-- p.t.s.d., if you will-- worried that this will be catastrophic as well. during katrina, as you remember, the levees failed. since katrina they've spent some $40 billion to repair the levees. this wilbe the first big test to see whether or not that works or not. now, officials say they do expect some overtopping because of the huge storm surge that is expected, but they do believe that will be just enough to be able to pump that water out, it doesn't cause massive flooding. >> sreenivasan: roby, so how are you p

now to a growing problem in southeast louisiana. this is in the wake of hurricane ida. it is the fifth most powerful storm to ever cross the u.s. coast. more than a million are still without power right now. >> we've got some new video to show you from the town of laplace. rescue crews have been in town trying to get to those that are stranded in their homes, but that is certainly proving to be a challenge. nbc news' jay gray has the latest. >> reporter: in some areas, the water still too deep, the damage too intense for teams to get in. in others, though, rescue efforts continue, families ushered to safety. >> the roof caved in, in the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room. >> reporter: vivid memories of ida's haunting. >> the rain and everything coming through this wind just ready to leave, ready to go but couldn't go nowhere. >> reporter: as crews began to clear away what they could, some are worried about what they may find. >> we expect there will be more people found that have passed. too many people always ride these storms out and take their life in thei

some areas could see 10-15 inches of rain around southeast louisiana.e places could even get 20 inches of rainfall. so, you combine that with the storm surge, and even on the mississippi coast over t mobile, central mississippi, 8- 10 inches of rain. just a dangerous situati when it ces to flooding. 90% of your fatalities in these tropical systems comes from the water. >> sreenivasan: is this storm season worse than usual? and i think the other thing people are wondering is, is this the new normal, that we are going to see more intense storms forming off the gulf coast with these warmer waters in the future? >> yeah, we're coming off the 2020 season that was nothy of relentless, the busiest season, the most names we've ever had in a season and was in 2020. and, as predicted, this season looks to be above the average as well. and we seem to be headed that direction. we are seeing storms, observing them to be stronger. we're also seeing them rapidly intensify. and that really does play into the timelines. and when you have rapidly intensifying storms, tha

it became a tropical storm assess load over mississippi on monday while across southeast louisiana residentsaited for daylight to be rescued from floodwaters. one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the u.s. mainland. all of norlin -- all of new orleans lost power. just before that, the governor updated louisianans and others on the progress of the storm. [video clip] >> based on the hurricane track and the wind and rain forecast, the cpra is dissipating some overtopping of the southeast portion of the libby system. -- levy system. and not federal levees as well. overtopping is concerning, i want to make sure that everybody understands come overtopping and levy failure are not the same thing. a levy failure can be much more catastrophic. they are not the same thing. we are going to continue to monitor this flood protection system. i can tell you we do not anticipate any overtopping of the mississippi river levees or overtopping of the levees in the hurricane risk reduction system around the greater new orleans area. [end video clip] host: the headline this morning, all of new orle

this is just one of at least eight or nine locations in baton rouge hello, thousands across southeast louisianaey've been set up to mitigate flooding. the two threats are storm life and property are wind and water. i do expect to bring a whole lot of both. there is a mass exodus underway, roads are jammed, gas stations are met houses. all of this, very familiar folks who call this part of the country of home. a for store hurricane season last summer. >> this is stronger than last year. this will be a life altering storm for those who are prepared and ready to take what ida will fell out of later this weekend. reporter: people in neighboring alabama and mississippi are on alert as heavy rains and storm surge. the impact of ida is expected to be far-reaching and become an set at the afternoon press briefing he's being told the system is 300 miles long so it's going to impact so many in the region. arthel: live in baton rouge, thank you, casey. eric. eric: remember that tragedy and for instruction from hurricane katrina made landfall as a category three 16 years ago tomorrow. it seemed ironically

national weather service is warning the storm could make some places in southeast louisiana uninhabitable look at this. any video into cnn shows backed up traffic out of the new orleans area on a major highway, talking interstate 10. folks are trying to get out as quickly as they can. people listened to urgent warnings, are rushing to get out of the storm's path. we hope they make it. the mayor of new orleans is expected to hold a briefing in just a few minutes. we will have live coverage of that briefing once it begins. our team of reporters is covering the storm from all angles. allison chinchar is standing by at the cnn weather center. begin with nadia ra mira and jason carroll in new orleans for us. jason, first to you. are people you are talking to leaving new orleans or trying to hunker down and stay? >> reporter: well, wolf, it is a combination of both. whenever you cover hurricanes, you always hear from one person i am going to stay and ride it out. that's what we're hearing, too, in the 9th ward. want to give you perspective where i am standing, shows you what's at stake. this pa