As Ida continued moving through Mississippi Monday afternoon, officials report a second storm-related death and declare public health emergencies for Mississippi and Louisiana. The video above shows Ida hitting multiple parts of Mississippi and President Joe Biden meeting with local and state leaders about the damage left by the storm.
According to the National Hurricane Center, as of 2:00 p.m. EDT, Ida was located southwest of Jackson, Mississippi. It was moving north/northeast at about 9 mph. The center said Ida is expected to continue moving through western and central Mississippi Monday and gain speed as it moves through northeastern Mississippi Monday night. Then it is expected to move across the Tennessee Valley Tuesday and hit the Appalachians on Wednesday.
“We know Hurricane Ida had the potential to cause massive, massive damage, and and that’s exactly what we saw,” President Biden said. “Some folks are still dealing with the storm surge and flash flooding. And there are roads that are impassable due to debris and downed power lines.”
Back in Louisiana, the state reported its second death related to Ida. The second victim is a motorist who drowned in New Orleans. The first victim was killed by a falling tree outside of Baton Rouge.
Both Louisiana and Mississippi were both put under public health emergencies due to Ida by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. The declaration pauses certain payment rules and other requirements that could get in the way of hospitals and doctors trying to provide services under stressful conditions.
Biden told state officials to contact the White House if they need additional support even though the effort is being led by FEMA. “We’ll get you what you need if we can,” Biden said. “The people of Louisiana and Mississippi are resilient. But it’s in moments like these where we can certainly see the power of government to respond to the needs of the people, if government’s prepared and if they respond.”