New Orleans under curfew in wake of Hurricane Ida
- New Orleans was mostly without power after Hurricane Ida hit
- President Joe Biden declared a major disaster for Louisiana and Mississippi
Louisiana and Mississippi took stock of the disaster inflicted by powerful Hurricane Ida, as receding floodwaters began to reveal the full extent of the damage along the US Gulf Coast and the death toll rose to four.
New Orleans was under a curfew Tuesday evening, nearly two days after Ida slammed into the Louisiana coast as a Category 4 storm, exactly 16 years after devastating Hurricane Katrina - which killed more than 1,800 people - made landfall.
Four deaths have been confirmed as crews began fanning out in boats and off-road vehicles to search communities cut off by the giant storm. A man was also missing after apparently being killed by an alligator.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell said on Twitter she had signed an executive order mandating an overnight curfew in New Orleans, most of which was still entirely without power after the storm.
Images of people being plucked from flooded cars and pictures of destroyed homes surfaced on social media, while the damage in New Orleans itself remained limited.
New Orleans Airport said all incoming and outgoing flights scheduled for Tuesday were cancelled, while airlines had scrapped nearly 200 flights on Wednesday.