Hurricane Ida death toll rises as US continues clean-up

Two new deaths in Louisiana were reported among evacuated nursing home residents at a warehouse under investigation for squalid conditions

Pope Francis offered prayers and condolences for victims, as divers try to locate the source of a suspected oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

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Flooding in French Settlement, Louisiana. Photo: The Advocate via AP

Published: 2:28am, 5 Sep 2021Updated: 10:14pm, 5 Sep 2021

Parts of the United States started the Labour Day holiday weekend digging through debris left by the deadly deluge from Hurricane Ida, nearly a week after it made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane, downing trees, power lines and debris with wind gusts that reached 172 miles per hour (276km/h).

The storm killed at least 44 in the north-east and 12 in Louisiana. It caused public transport in New York City to grind to a halt, with operators promising to restore some lines before the start of the work week on Tuesday.

Southern tempers flared as power cuts that left more than 1 million people without electricity forced many into long lines at petrol stations, scrambling to find fuel for generators.

Full restoration of electricity to some of the hardest-hit areas of Louisiana could take until the end of the month, the head of Entergy Louisiana warned.

Two new deaths in Louisiana were among evacuated nursing home residents at a Tangipahoa Parish warehouse now under state investigation after reports of squalid conditions.

“Sadly, we also can now confirm two additional deaths among nursing home residents who had been evacuated to the Tangipahoa facility,” the Louisiana Department of Health tweeted. “This brings the death toll of nursing home residents evacuated to this facility to six.”