1. Hurricane Ida was one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the US.

The Category 4 hurricane with 150 mph winds made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana on Aug. 29—the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

The winds tied Ida for the fifth-strongest hurricane to hit the mainland US,
and its powerful storm surge caused the Mississippi River to briefly stop flowing and reverse its course. Significant flooding was initially reported in communities including LaPlace, Louisiana. On social media, residents pleaded for boat rescues as the water rose and they climbed up to attics and roofs to stay safe.
Source: CNN + The Associated Press

2. Hurricane Ida’s damage was extensive—and it’s still unfolding.

More than a week after Hurricane Ida made landfall, the official death toll rose to 82. At least 26 storm-related deaths have been reported in Louisiana, including the most recent deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning and excessive heat during a power outage.

A failed levee in the Lafitte and Jean Lafitte areas of Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish prompted calls for residents to immediately seek higher ground, and stormwater runoff left dozens of streets across New Orleans impassable.

Louisiana continues to face food and fuel shortages, and about 62,000 people are still without water. As hospitals in New Orleans were fighting a fourth wave of COVID-19 that brought many nearly to capacity, the storm further strained services and damaged buildings, forcing some hospitals to evacuate patients.
Source: ABC News + The Guardian

3. More than 1 million people were without power in Louisiana.

That included the entire city of New Orleans. Power is almost fully restored in New Orleans, but the outages continue for many residents in the hardest-hit areas outside of the city. More than 2,000 miles of transmission lines were put out of service across Louisiana, according to utility company Entergy New Orleans. In Mississippi, another 133,000 people were left in the dark after the storm first made landfall.
Source: The Associated Press + The Wall Street Journal

[Support community-led recovery with a donation to the GlobalGiving Hurricane Ida Relief Fund.]

4. Flash flooding from Hurricane Ida was life-threatening.

Excessive rains, flash floods, dangerous storm surges, and powerful winds and tornadoes remained a threat, even as Ida weakened. Remnants of the storm brought record-breaking rain and severe flooding to parts of the Northeast, killing at least 52 people.
Source: USA Today

5. GlobalGiving partners are already on the ground to help survivors access food, shelter, and other emergency services.

GlobalGiving’s Disaster Response Team is working with responding partners to meet the immediate needs of Hurricane Ida survivors and first responders. Once urgent needs are met, the GlobalGiving Hurricane Ida Relief Fund will transition to support community-led, long-term recovery efforts as needed.
Source: GlobalGiving Hurricane Ida Relief Fund

6. Our partners in Louisiana and beyond started preparing before Ida touched down.

They remain hard at work, assessing damages and getting help where it’s needed, despite power outages at their home bases. Imagine Water Works is part of Mutual Aid Response Network—a powerful collective of more than 6,000 Louisiana residents devoted to serving communities traditionally overlooked in emergency responses. Louisiana’s Second Harvest Food Bank is focused on getting food to displaced residents. The St. Bernard Project is dedicated to helping the people most impacted by Ida get back on their feet. “Every way we’ve grown as an organization in the last decade has come from a desire to prevent the suffering we observed in those early days [of Hurricane Katrina],” the St. Bernard team tweeted.

[Support community-led recovery with a donation to the GlobalGiving Hurricane Ida Relief Fund.]

7. Cash is the best way to help people in need during a natural disaster like Hurricane Ida.

Why? Survivors’ needs vary greatly throughout the life cycle of recovery. Some will require financial support, medical care, and psychological assistance years down the road. You can learn more about how to help people affected by Hurricane Ida in this infographic about the importance of cash donations to vetted, community-led organizations on the Gulf Coast.
Source: GlobalGiving + USAID Center for International Disaster Information

Help people in communities hit hardest by Hurricane Ida and fuel community-led recovery through GlobalGiving.

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