report following up onst for 5 y
Monday, only at Ashley
homestore.
>> This is an NBC News special
report.
>> Good morning, guys. Craig
and I are coming on the air
early to bring you the very
latest on hurricane Ida that
incredible punch was a category
4 right now weakening. But
remains a very dangerous threat
at this moment crash where
things stand right now. I’m
making landfall always here on
Sunday as
a strong.
>> Category 4 hurricane just 7
miles per hour shy of a cat
5 winds reach about a 150 miles
per hour and this surge of
water caused devastating
flooding overnight. Some people
were told to get to higher
ground immediately. Other a lot
of people, by the way, Craig,
who are like begging for rescue
at this hour. Louisiana’s also
dealing with what’s described
as
a catastrophic power failure
that means a million people in
New Orleans. The entire city
of
New Orleans.
>> In the dark and that’s where
we’re going to start off our
coverage with ground. What’s
the latest there?
>> Well, guys, I will tell I
look all around. We could hear
the sound of generators.
Very few light. It’s breezy.
The rain has stopped. But of
course, that means we’ve got
there’s still a lot of
devastation. It’s dark. We
don’t really have an idea until
the sun comes up with what we
are going to see. We were
hunkered down in our hotel was
a lot of flooding in and around
our region. Downtown
New Orleans. And let’s take a
look. You get get get sent to
the power. The system, the
strongest wind gusts right Ida
came on shore.
4 for Shawn allegedly. We had a
172 mile per hour wind gust
grand Isle 146. Locked.
87 miles per hour. Wind gust
and that top we’ve got a lot
we’ve heard a skyscraper
Windows getting blown out a
real mess here. Latest. Not
right now. I’d as 95 miles
south Southwest Jackson,
Mississippi, 60 mile per hour
winds moving north at 8 miles
per hour. This is going to be a
slow mover.
High impact storm, even though
it’s losing its tropical.
Characteristics slowly moving
across Mississippi got a
tornado risk still across the
gulf tomorrow that moisture is
going to merge with the front
increasing the flood risk for
Kentucky and Tennessee because
heavy rain and by Wednesday
it into the mid Atlantic into
the Northeast, continuing this
record setting
wet summer and then by Thursday
moves off the jersey coast late
today. Heaviest rain will be
across New England sore real
mess. Guys, we’re talking
rainfall still stretching from
the gulf all the way to New
>> 5 to 7 more inches with
55 million people.
>> interesting about what New
Orleans and post. Katrina was
a really fortified that city.
They put up big levees and all
the rest and this ended up
being a big
wind event. But there are
places that have water issues.
So with power
being out. What’s the story
with the pumps and pumping out
the water with with the issues,
with the power.
>> emergency backups. But the
problems right now, I, for
example, in our hotel, water
is running. But we don’t know
whether it’s potable or not.
And frankly don’t know. They’re
telling people the EMS is down
that you if you’ve got an
emergency nobody’s
I really don’t have a sense
of what the state of the city
is right now communications
are down. It is a disaster
right now. One of the major
power lines that that comes
into the city and to make
transmission tower. It’s gone.
I mean, literally has gone
nobody at fact right now most a
lot of cell service towers are
gone. It’s a city that cut off
right.
>> While thank you so much.
let’s turn now to NBC News
senior national correspondent
Tom llamas also in New Orleans
tracking all of the overnight
developments. Tom, what’s the
scene there?
>> Hey, guys, good morning to
you that the big story, the
big headline of New Orleans
right now is the power outages.
You guys were just talking
about without. But there’s been
some significant structural
damage. I want to show you just
behind me. We’re on the
catering to lose. This is one
of those famous balconies in
the French quarter. And this is
a combinations destruction
right here is a combination
of a traffic light, a balcony
some roofing and an awning of
Morris candies, which is a
famous candy shop here in the
French quarter and also asked
my photographer bill Angelou.
She can zoom in to this black
hole just behind us, guys.
This is the French quarter
right now. There is no power
whatsoever. Not a single light
is on. I have never seen New
Orleans. This stark the only
light you’re seeing right now
is from our television lights,
from our camera lights. It is
spooky it is eerie and it’s
definitely scary here in the
French quarter right now the
police are out and about so it
is still somewhat safe. But as
soon as your car lights.
Turn on you see the last you
see Windows broken doors all
along the floor. I have a lot
of friends and relatives here
in New Orleans. Lot of them
evacuated, some of them didn’t.
But they’re all trying to text
and email right now. The
problem is, as I mentioned,
there’s some cell towers down
ATnT right now seems not to
be working for a rise in in New
Orleans seems to be working
ATT, though you cannot get a
phone call out. You can’t get
an email out. You can get a
text out. So there’s a lot of
confusion right now. Mass power
outages. A lot of the hospitals
throughout New Orleans. Also
suffer some structural damage
on told that a lot of the
patients from Louisiana
offshore health, which is the
largest hospital system in the
Southeast and told their
patients are okay. But there
were some hospitals ahead of
transport patients out from
there hospitals because it just
got too dangerous. We also know
that there were some elderly
citizens of New Orleans in the
memory towers had to be
evacuated as well. So just a
really, really scary scene here
in New Orleans. I’m getting
text of people asking how that
is New Orleans. Guys. It’s bad.
The problem is we just don’t
know how bad and now we will
probably into the sun starts to
thanks. And I think the
interesting thing Tom, the
point. That was the hospitals.
There was a hospital in, too.
that lost power lost a
generator and literally nurses
and doctors.
>> We’re hand bagging pumping
so that so making an oxygen
into
their systems. Time. We’re
going to learn a lot more at
first light. So I will be
talking back with you in just a
bit. Let’s bring in
Morgan chesky. He’s in houma,
Louisiana is just about an
hour’s drive from New Orleans
that was right. Smack dab in
the path of the storm. Morgan,
what he have.
>> And we’re actually just
south of to minute where you
mentioned that hospital had to
say. Those patients lives my
hand and I have to tell you, we
know that we won’t see the true
extent of the damage to the sun
comes up.
As we pull this is just one
building on one block of one
community. That is left.
Absolutely crippled by Ida.
And what’s even beyond
frustrating for a lot of these
first responders as they don’t
know how bad it is either.
And in every direction they
go to they’re getting flat
tires. We had a chance to check
in with the Police Department
as we made our way through this
town with power poles, downed
power lines blocking streets
and they had to leave many of
their homes themselves that
either took on water or had
roofs ripped right off. And
this is the extent of the
damage that we’re going to be
seeing from these wind gusts
that were reported here upwards
of 140 miles an hour. Part of
the problem here in houma and
some of the surrounding area
is that this was a place that
part of the eyewall essentially
got stuck from Ida, which
unleashed those devastating
winds for hours at a time.
And that is why as bad as it is
right now, there is a sickening
feeling that will only get
worse. I spoke to a terrible
own parish sheriff’s deputy
last night I said is this is
that is gustaf. He says this is
the worst I’ve ever seen.
>> In bacteria and in fact,
that sentiment worse to that
that they’ve
ever seen. We were talking
stalked this in different
officials from New Orleans that
area who went
through Katrina. They said this
one feels so much worse than
that. Did. I mean, again, this
is just in the moment. The
aftermath, of course, still
ahead at especially
brother-in-law. They live here.
You station and the
Coast Guard.
>> They’ve been checking in
with friends. And to your point
earlier, the wind damage is
going to be the story,
especially there.
>> Think just about 30 miles
from New Orleans is Jefferson
parish that by the way, the
most populated parish in the
state. One of the hardest hit
areas in the storm. Cynthia Lee
Sheng, president of the
parish there.
>> it’s good to see you.
I know the last time I heard
you speak. You talked
about people who were chest
deep in water and waiting for
rescue. That was such a dire
situation. I know there’s a
situation on grand Isle that
was. And that’s the island
right there on the outskirts of
New Orleans. Lot of people have
seen that. What have you been
hearing from those people who
are in desperate need right
now.
>> So how to, you know,
unfortunately we still have
not made contact with people in
Grand Isle. We lost
contact yesterday. Now with
the phone service It’s still
dark outside. You know, our
teams are ready to go out
there. Some bling. Now they
have their maps. They have
their their sections that
they’re going to all of our
first responders are getting
ready. The initial focus this
morning will be going to a
Barrett Arie crown point area.
We’ve had a lot of rescue
request We’re thank God and
doing what I think was a
terribly frightening night for
many individuals who are
waiting for their rescue.
It is it was just are just
complete darkness outside.
And of course the winds were
still there. So, you know, I
poked my head out last night
and it was frightening just
where I am to just hear the
noise. The and the complete
darkness. So can you imagine
being stranded and that’s
where, you know, this is just
that night of h*** is going to
be over with tonight’s of these
people. When the when the light
comes up and your thank God for
that.
We’ve been ready to get out
here. It’s today is the day
we’re going to see the damage
and we’re going to know how
long the recovery it’s going
to take for us as president.
It’s been a long, long, you
know, day in a
long night.
>> Us president saying there
were reports that a levee
failed there. And in Jefferson
County. What more can you tell
us
about that. And also there’s
some concern about the barges
as becoming an morgue.
>> Again, all of this is in
the La feet area that I’m
talking know. I think one of
the stations reported that a
levee sale that’s very
different from Levy over
topping. So you a word I got
this morning and it was
verified by our mayor, mayor
Tim Kerner junior is that the
levees were over top. So it was
no structure are structural
failure of the levees is just
the water was higher than the
levee that was built and that
is the confirmation that I got
this morning and they have a
bridge that connects parts of
Lafayette to bar Terry, in
crown point. This is a bridge
that gives us problems because
we have had that doubles barges
hit this bridge before in
other.
Other hurricane situations.
And again, it
happened yesterday. It’s it’s I
think to 2 boats or 2 vessels
hit. One of them, I’m told
sunk. But the bridge shop
cannot be used and it will be
out for several months. I mean,
we’re going have to rebuild
that. So so even when we
rebuild, those people are going
to have to. We’ll have to ferry
those people back and forth to
their homes for quite some time
for several Well, I want to
Jefferson parish, president
Cynthia Lee Sheng. I want We’re
praying for We’re thinking
about you. I know y’all working
real hard.
They’re okay.
>> And I know your heart is
with that you know, at all,
right. Best of luck OK. Okay.
All right. We’re going to stay
with NBC News all morning long.
We have a lot more on hurricane
Ida its path, the aftermath.
All of it coming up on today
and you can get updates all
morning long at NBC News, dot
com for Craig Melvin and I this
is an NBC News special part.