On the Ground in Louisiana in Ida’s Wake

Two days after the Category 4 storm tore through the state, officials urged those who had evacuated not to return, citing interruptions in basic services like power, water and sewerage.

Widespread flooding and power outages continued across southeastern Louisiana on Tuesday as officials and emergency crews continued to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Ida, which struck the state on Sunday as a powerful Category 4 storm. Hundreds of thousands of customers were still without electricity amid sweltering heat and humidity, in areas including all of New Orleans, where the storm took out all eight transmission lines into the city. The storm had caused at least five deaths as of Tuesday afternoon. Gov. John Bel Edwards urged those who had evacuated to stay away.