The strong winds from Hurricane Ida blew off part of the roof of a Louisiana police station, while the massive storm knocked out 9-1-1 service around the New Orleans area.
According to an update on the Slidell Police Department's Facebook page, the roof of the department's station was "compromised and water (was) pouring into several offices." The damage to the roof was able to be temporarily fixed, but Ida—which pummeled the area as a Category 4 hurricane and has weakened to a tropical storm—continued to wreak havoc with the department.
'We have lost all communication…phones, WiFi, cable, power, etc.," the department stated in an 8:30 a.m. social media post. "PLEASE STAY OFF THE ROADS. Conditions are very dangerous. Hundreds of downed trees and power lines. If you evacuated, don’t come back now. Stay where you are. There is no gas, food, resources. In some places off of Bayou Liberty, we had to use boats to rescue people from their rooftops. We are doing high-water rescues now."
On Sunday night, Slidell officers sheltered in place around our city, and they began assessing the damage and responding to calls once it was safe.
Hurricane Ida also knocked out 9-1-1 service in St. Tammany Parish, which is where Slidell is located, The Times-Picayune reports. New Orleans and St. Charles and St. Bernard parishes were without 9-1-1 service, as well. Jefferson Parish's service had gone down, but it was back up by Monday.
The loss of 9-1-1 service was being blamed on issues with the AT&T network during the hurricane, according to all three parishes. Officials in Orleans Parish were advising residents to go to a fire station or find a police officer in case of emergencies.
Electricity and cellular phone service also was out in much of the area.
"Now is not the time to leave your home," the New Orleans Police Department stated in a social media post. "There is no power. Trees, limbs, and lines are down everywhere. It is not safe to leave your home right now. Please remain sheltered in place."
