New Orleans faces THREE WEEKS without electricity after Hurricane Ida downed 2,000 miles of power lines across Louisiana, as looting begins and sewage companies warn outage has stopped pumps from working

New Orleans faces three weeks with no electricity in the wake of Hurricane Ida, after the extreme weather event downed more than 2,000 miles of energy lines across Louisiana.

Entergy Louisiana officials said on Monday it may take days for utility crews to determine the extent of the damage to New Orleans' power grid and even longer to restore power to the area, with Bloomberg reporting that repairs could take until late September to complete.

'We have a lot of rebuilding ahead of us,' the company wrote on Twitter. 'We'll be better prepared to give restoration estimates once assessments are done.'

By 7 a.m., the company said more than 888,000 people were without power in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida snapped cables, damaged buildings, uprooted trees and spread debris.

On Monday morning, 216 substations, 207 transmission lines and more than 2,000 miles of transmission lines were down.

Footage of a store being looted in NOLA was captured by a drone photographer on Monday, with locals filmed rifling through an ATM and taking drinks. That has sparked fears the city could be hit by a crime spiral during its prolonged darkness.

Meanwhile, the Sewer and Water Board of New Orleans said most, if not all of its 84 sewage pumping stations were without power. It was relying on generators to keep pumps working to drain the storm water out of the city and bring drinking water in.

Officials are now warning New Orleans may be without power and air conditioning for more than three weeks, according to Bloomberg, with Mayor LaToya Cantrell urging people and businesses to 'share the power you have.'

'While the power is dependent on generators, I'm calling on all of our people and businesses that have the capacity in the city to be good neighbors - share the power you have, open your businesses with the people to recharge their devices.'

Much of Louisiana was flooded in the aftermath

Traffic passed by LaPlace, Louisiana as a traffic light hung from a cable on Monday

A truck in Houma, Louisiana, drives past a metal sign downed by Hurricane Ida's winds

President Joe Biden on Monday announced the federal government has sent 200 generators to the area as one million people remain without power in the wake of the hurricane.

The president added that he has asked the Federal Aviation Administration to authorize the use of drones to assess Ida's damage to energy infrastructure. Biden said he has also ordered the Pentagon and the Department of Homeland Security to make available any satellite imagery that could help assess the extent of the damage.

Additionally, he said, he is activating cooperative cellphone access so that if one cellphone carrier loses service, their customers in the area can temporarily switch to another cellphone carrier. That came after AT&T announced its network had gone down for 40 per cent of customers in Louisiana, which, combined with power shortages for 1 million people, made life a nightmare for hard-hit residents trying to make emergency calls or work from home.

'We’re going to stand with you and the people of the Gulf as long as it takes you to recover,' Biden told governors and mayors in the storm-ravaged areas, saying 'we're providing any help that you may need.'

'Folks get knocked down, we're there to help you get back on your feet,' Biden said before telling Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards directly: 'If there's anything else you need, you know just call, just holler.'

'We’re providing any help that you’re going to need,' the president told Louisiana and Mississippi mayors and governors during a conference call Monday afternoon as Ida made its way north.

He said he expects that the death toll from Hurricane Ida - which currently stands at one person - will rise as the human cost of the storm that ravaged the state began to emerge.

Speaking on a conference call to governors affected by the extreme weather event Monday, the president warned he expected the number of people found killed as a result of Ida to rise considerably.

'We already know there’s been at least one confirmed death, and a number - that number is likely to grow,' Biden said. 'And I’ve got - we’ve got a million people in Louisiana without power.'

Biden echoed the words of Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.

Speaking on MSNBC on Monday, Bel Edwards warned that far more bad news lies ahead as search and rescue efforts continued in the wake of Sunday's Category 4 hurricane.

He said: 'I don’t want to mislead anyone. Robust search and rescue is happening right now and I fully expect that that death count will go up considerably throughout the day.'

Biden's conference call later sparked controversy after he used the word 'boy' to describe his senior adviser Cedric Richmond, who is black.

The president faced casual racism allegations over the remark, which saw him say: 'I'm here with my senior adviser and boy who knows Louisiana very, very well and New Orleans, Cedric Richmond.'

His remarks come after Ida left 1.043 million people without power in Louisiana and another 115,000 in the same situation in Mississippi as it dumped torrential rain on the area, flooding much of New Orleans before being downgraded to a tropical storm Monday.

The Karofsky shop suffered severe damage after Hurricane Ida pummeled New Orleans with strong winds

The Karofsky shop suffers severe damage, as Governor John Bel Edwards warned recovery efforts could take weeks

One person, a 60-year-old man, has been confirmed dead. He has not been named and was killed after a tree fell on his home in Prairieville, Louisiana, on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the human cost of Ida began to emerge on Monday, after a famed New Orleans tailor shop where jazz legend Louis Armstrong once lived was among buildings destroyed.

Karnofsky Tailor Shop and Residence, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was reduced to a pile of bricks and rubble by Ida.

It started out as a tailor shop in 1913, and Armstrong 'worked for the Karnofskys on their coal and junk wagons, tooting "a small tin horn" and ate meals with the family,' who eventually gave him money for his first concert.

'Louis said it was the Karnofskys that instilled the love of singing in his heart,' John McCusker, a retired journalist who supported the efforts to get the store historically landmarked, told WWL.

The Karnofsys' son, Morris, would go on to open the first jazz record store in town and the Register of Historic Places says, 'Armstrong visited his friend and musician buddies at the store on his many return trips to the city.'

Another apartment building in Kenner, Louisiana burned overnight after the storm struck it.

Dartarian Stovall's house collapsed when he was renovating it Sunday night. He was able to crawl to safety and said: 'At least I'm alive.' As of Monday, there was only one reported death, though officials expect that number to increase as search and rescue operations continue throughout the day

Stovall 's house in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans was completely destroyed in the storm

And Dartanian Stovall was pictured distraught outside his home in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Monday after it was destroyed by the storm while he was renovating it.

He said the chimney fell first, and the rest of the house followed.

Fortunately, he managed to crawl to safety. Stovall, who was pictured surveying the wreckage of his home with his hands clasped to his head, said: 'At least I'm alive,' as he surveyed the damage on Monday.

Cynthia Lee Cheng - mayor of Jefferson Parish - also outlined the horror faced by some of her neighbors currently trapped in attics in the trashed town of Lafitte.

She said: 'This is an area if you want to think of it like swampland, there's alligators out there.

Door-to-door searches are currently underway in Jefferson County, using boats in badly-flooded areas. Louisiana has also activated 5,000 National Guard members.

A US Army spokesman said 195 high-water vehicles and 73 rescue boats had been prepped and staged across south Louisiana to aid door-to-door search attempts. The National Guard has also organized 34 helicopters to support search and rescue, evacuation and reconnaissance missions as needed.

President Joe Biden on Monday told the governors and mayors of Louisiana and Mississippi to 'just holler' if they need any additional support in the wake of Hurricane Ida

A roof was ripped off a car parts store in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana, on Sunday after Hurricane Ida blew through

Theophilus Charles, 70, sobs while sitting on the porch of his home in Houma, Louisiana, which was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ida

Charles sits dejected on a mattress inside his home after Ida tore through Sunday, bringing 150mph winds and severe floods

Rene Hebert cleans out the family's destroyed offices in Houma, Louisiana

Fran Tribe and her dog, Dave, sit outside home destroyed by Hurricane Ida in Houma, Louisiana

Jeremy Hodges walks out of his family's ruined storage unit in Houma on Monday, hours after Hurricane Ida

A man walks through deep floodwaters in Magnolia, Mississippi, in the aftermath of Ida on Monday morning

A car was destroyed by falling masonry in New Orleans after Ida tore through the Big Easy on Sunday

Windows were ripped out of an office building in Metairie, Louisiana, as Ida passed through

"We have one confirmed death but I don't want to mislead anyone. Robust search and rescue is happening right now and I fully expect that death count will go up considerably throughout the day," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says on Hurricane Ida damage. pic.twitter.com/O5wpB6eScT
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) August 30, 2021

"We have one confirmed death but I don't want to mislead anyone. Robust search and rescue is happening right now and I fully expect that death count will go up considerably throughout the day," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says on Hurricane Ida damage. pic.twitter.com/O5wpB6eScT

All of New Orleans lost power around sunset on Sunday, leaving people without refrigeration and air conditioning in the hot summer weather, as they used flashlights to search through the damage as the storm passed by around dawn.

Figures from power supplier Entergy confirmed that 144,000 homes were without power in the Big Easy. A further 195,000 are without power in nearby Jefferson Parish, while 80,000 are without power in St Tammany Parish.

The power cuts spelt bad news for Louisianans trying to work from home, and there was further misery for many on Monday, when cellphone and internet provider AT&T reported that 40 per cent of its network was down in the state due to Ida.

Search and rescue operations began at around 3 a.m., with the Louisiana National Guard going door to door to check on residents, many of whom are still stuck on the second-floor or the attics of their homes.

The United States Coast Guard also helped evacuate seven patients from a southern Louisiana hospital, Bel Edwards said Monday afternoon.

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam also tweeted that the state has deployed 35 members of Virginia Task Force 2 to the area and Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Monday the state was sending 132 firefighters, 30 fire engines, 14 crew members and a helicopter to Louisiana, with the Texas A&M Task Force One providing urban search and rescue capabilities.

'The State of Texas is proud to support our neighbors in Louisiana by sending emergency resources and personnel to assist with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida,' Abbott said in a statement.

'We will never forget the kindness, generosity and support offered by the people of Louisiana during Hurricane Harvey four years ago, and we are eager to support them in their own time of need.'

But the Louisiana State Police told residents on Facebook 'it may be difficult to get help to you for quite some time,' as communication is limited in certain areas.

The State Police noted that as troopers continue to clear roadways 'the full extent of damage is yet to be seen,' and search and rescue workers still cannot get to certain areas.

'A large portion of travel routes are blocked by down trees and power lines,' they wrote. 'In addition, there is standing water in some areas, which can deteriorate roads and sweep vehicles away. Debris is also scattered throughout the area, which can make navigating our roadways very difficult.'

They asked residents to refrain from traveling at this time 'as it is these dangerous conditions that can create additional emergencies that could be prevented.'

Hundreds of flights were canceled at the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, and people with scheduled flights were asked to make arrangements with their airlines.

There were 226 flights canceled on Sunday and 40 flights canceled on Saturday, WDSU reports, with 173 reported on Monday, as the airport continues to face systematic issues.

Thirty people were still in the terminal as of 10 a.m. on Monday and have been relocated to the baggage claim area as air conditioning, communications systems and restrooms were down at the airport. It did not have electricity, and is operating on emergency generator power.

Staff members said they will continue to monitor the status of the individuals to ensure their safety while in the facility.

Officials are reportedly in communication with the Federal Aviation Administration on its timeline for assessments on their navigational aids and air traffic control tower functionality.

Highway 51 was flooded in LaPlace, Louisiana with rescue crews having to take a boat to reach people stuck in their homes

A person on a bicycle passes a damaged Shell station in Kenner, Louisiana on Monday as millions remained without power

A shrimp boat in the Bayou Segnette inlet has capsized from the heavy winds of Ida in Westwego, Louisiana

Aerial footage obtained by DailyMail.com showed the extent of the damage, with walls completely ripped off the side of one building in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana

Another building had its roof completely blown off, with debris scattered throughout the property

Some buildings and houses were reduced to just their frames as the hurricane passed by with 150 mph winds

A woman looks over damage to a neighborhood caused by Hurricane Ida on Monday

Men in the area struggled to remove scaffolding that fell on top of a vehicle outside of a hotel in Houma, Louisiana

Now a tropical storm, Ida is expected to make its way through the Mid-South, Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast in the coming days, dropping three to six inches of rain along its way

Three storms are being monitored in the Atlantic as Ida approaches Mississippi

As Louisiana residents recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Ida, three more storm systems are being monitored in the Atlantic Ocean.

The National Hurricane Center has been watching Tropical Storm Julian, which was briefly named the 10th storm of 2021 and formed in the Atlantic around the same time that Hurricane Ida reached the mainland U.S. However, Julian was downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone by early Monday morning and is projected to dissipate before reaching land.

In addition, a storm system known as Tropical Depression 10 is expected to become Tropical Storm Kate on Wednesday or Thursday. Kate is then expected to continue its course over the Atlantic, without making landfall.

The hurricane-tracking organization sent out an advisory at 5am on Monday, noting that the system was about 775 miles east-northeast of the Leeward Islands with maximum sustained winds at about 35mph with higher gusts.

‘ remains distinctly possible that the depression could become a remnant low (post-tropical cyclone) if its convection is completely stripped away,’ the National Hurricane Center wrote in an advisory.

There are also two disturbances and, if either grow strong enough, would be named Tropical Storm Larry. One of the disturbances is east of the Delmarva Peninsula and is drifting out into the Atlantic off the coasts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia, with little chance of it ending up over the United States.

Another storm is expected to emerge off the coast of Africa later today and has a high chance of becoming a tropical depression later this week, with a 60 per cent chance in the next two days and an 80 per cent chance in the next five. It is project to move west and northwest over the eastern Atlantic, according to the Miami Herald.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Ida was weakened to a tropical storm as it passed over Mississippi on Monday and flood warnings are in place for Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky. The storm flooded much of New Orleans, overpowering the levees which were strengthened after Hurricane Katrina hit the area on the same date 16 years ago.

Hurricane season is expected to reach its peak on September 10 and continue to last until November 30.

Anyone needing emergency help was urged to go to their nearest fire station or approach their nearest officer.

Some people also took to social media to post their addresses and locations, asking for help, with officials promising rescue efforts would begin in the early morning hours of Monday, as it moved into Mississippi.

In a Sunday news conference, Louisiana Governor Edwards said rescue crews would not be able to immediately help those who were stranded, and warned the state could see weeks of recovery.

'Many, many people are going to be tested in ways that we can only imagine today,' he said, but added: 'There is always light after darkness, and I can assure you we are going to get through this.'

Rescue operations began around 3 a.m. Monday, the governor said in his interview with MSNBC, with 900 search and rescue personnel from 16 different states assisting with the efforts as some residents continue to shelter on the second-floors of their homes or in their attics.

Matthew Marchetti, a spokesman for Houston-based nonprofit Crowdsource Rescue, said the group had rescued about 150 people out of the 1,000 reports it received in Louisiana.

The group currently has three teams operating in LaPlace and are en route to Lafitte in hopes of assisting rescue efforts there. But, he told CNN, that is going to be difficult.

'Lafitte is a bit of a technical challenge,' he said, calling it a 'long boat ride because of road issues.'

Crews Monday morning assessed the damage from the storm.

'Unfortunately, the worst case scenario seems to have happened,' Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee said, adding that some houses are flooded with water that's 'beyond chest high. It's up to the top of the roof.'

The weather conditions and power outages made it tough for teams to work overnight.

'This is an area that has a lot of swampland, alligators, very dangerous conditions. They had to wait for the sun to come up this morning. They had a strategy,' Lee explained to CNN. 'We have people out there ready to clear roads. We're going to have boats, high-water vehicles. Our first responders are ready to go. They just needed the daylight to be able to do their best work.'

She called for a mandatory curfew for all of the parish from 6 a.m. Monday through at least 6 a.m. Tuesday. All residents are urged to stay off the roads during this time.

Nearly 20 other cities and parishes had curfews in effect on Monday.

The storm slammed the barrier island of Grand Isle and blew off the roofs of buildings around Port Fourchon as it made landfall early Sunday morning and churned its way through the southern Louisiana wetlands, over the state's petrochemical corridor, threatening more than 2 million people living in and around New Orleans and Baton Rouge on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Many did not have enough money or resources to flee from the fast-approaching storm, which wreaked havoc in its wake and left many buildings destroyed.

An apartment building that burned overnight after Hurricane Ida struck the Relais Esplanade Apartments in Kenner, Louisiana

A man inspects his RV in rising floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, as he drives through a campground in Magnolia, Mississippi

A Jackson, Mississippi, resident uses a towel for a head covering as she leaves a convenience store after buying coffee, Monday morning

Soloman Smith holds Walle and Jake Sikaffy walk along I-10 after being rescued from their damaged house in LaPlace

Carlos Paz Jr. points to a tree that crashed in front of his home as he and his parents repair the roof after Hurricane Ida moved through LaPlace, Louisiana on Sunday

A member of a rescue team helped evacuate a woman after Hurricane Ida made landfall in LaPlace, Louisiana

A Louisiana National Guard truck rescued people out of LaPlace, Louisiana

CrowdSource Rescue teams headed to Lafitte to help with the rescue operations

A military helicopter flies over the flooded areas of LaPlace, Louisiana as rescue efforts continued Monday

Too poor to flee Ida: Low income families who can't afford gas or a hotel are forced to stay home and risk being killed by hurricane

Some low income families in Louisiana are being forced to stay at their homes in Hurricane Ida's wake because they can't afford the gas or hotel room to relocate somewhere safer.

Such was the case for Robert Owens, 27, who recalled the 'terrifying feeling' of watching lines of cars fleeing from Baton Rouge, where he lives with his wife, mother-in-law, a roommate and four pets.

'Our bank account is empty - we can´t afford to leave,' he said.

Out of desperation, Owens went to ACE Cash Express on Saturday and submitted documents for a payday loan. He was denied, however, and told he didn´t have enough credit history.

Hurricane Ida reached the US mainland at 11.55am on Sunday, swamping the barrier island of Grand Isle as landfall came just to the west at Port Fourchon, Louisiana. At that point, Owens realized that his family would have to ride out the storm in their duplex apartment.

Owens said the majority of people in his low-income neighborhood are in the same predicament. They want to leave to protect families, but have no choice but to stay.

'A lot of us here in my neighborhood have to just hunker down and wait, not knowing how bad it´s going to get,' he said.

Many residents struggled to evacuate to safer locations, but others lacked the funds to do so and had to stay in their homes and hope for the best. Above, a car got stuck in the storm's floodwaters in Bay St Louis, Mississippi

One included Robert Owens, 27, of Baton Rouge, said he feared the storm's 150mph winds would rip the roof off his duplex apartment

Hurricane Ida reached the US mainland at 11.55am on Sunday, swamping the barrier island of Grand Isle as landfall came just to the west at Port Fourchon, Louisiana

A young girl blocked her face from the wind and rain produced by Hurricane Ida on Sunday in New Orleans

'There people who have funds to lean on are able to get out of here, but there´s a big chunk of people that are lower-income that don´t have a savings account to fall on,' he continued. 'We´re left behind.'

By Sunday night at 9pm, Owens said his family and all others in his neighborhood had lost power. The sky was lighting up green from transformers blowing up all around them, he said.

Several trees had collapsed on neighbor's properties, but it was too dark to see the full extent of the damage. Owens said they were trying to use a flashlight to survey the street, but were wary of jeopardizing their safety.

'Never in my life have I encountered something this major,' he said as giant gusts rattled his home's windows.

Meanwhile, about 30 miles southeast, authorities announced the storm's first death after a 60-year-old man died when a tree fell on his home in Ascension Parish on Sunday night.

By Monday morning, more than 1 million customers in Louisiana lost power - including thousands in Baton Rouge - according to PowerOutage.US, which tracks outages nationwide.

Owens said there were a few times when it sounded like the roof of his duplex might come off. He said his wife was packing a bag of clothes and essentials, just in case.

'We'll shelter in the car if we lose the house,' he said. The family all share his wife's Toyota Avalon, a vehicle 'not nearly big enough' to shelter four people, three dogs and a cat.

A utility worker photographed waves as they slammed against a sea wall on Sunday

A man took pictures of high waves along the shore of Lake Pontchartrain as Hurricane Ida neared on Sunday

Earlier in the day, Owens said he was hurriedly placing towels under leaking windows in his duplex and charging electronics. He tried to go to Dollar General and Dollar Tree to pick up food, but they were closed. His family has lights glued around the walls of the house. They planned to hide in the laundry room or the kitchen when the storm hits - places without windows.

'There´s a general feeling of fear in not knowing what´s going to be the aftermath of this,' he said. 'That´s the most concerning thing. Like, what are we going to do if it gets really bad? Will we still be alive? Is a tree going fall on top of us?'

Owens said his mother-in-law is on disability. His roommates both work for Apple iOS tech support. His wife works scheduling blood donations. All of them rely on the internet to work from home, and if it goes out, they won´t be able to bring in any money.

'We might be without work, and rent, power, water, all of those bills will still be needing to get paid,' he said. 'We are a little bit concerned about losing our utilities or even our house - if it's still standing - because we´re not going to have the money for any other bills.'

He said it's hard to feel so vulnerable, like his family is getting left behind.

'The fact that we are not middle class or above, it just kind of keeps coming back to bite us over and over again, in so many different directions and ways - a simple pay-day advance being one of them,' he said. 'It´s like we´re having to pay for being poor, even though we´re trying to not be poor.

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