Almost 800 rescued in St. John the Baptist Parish after Hurricane Ida
At least three people have died as a result of the storm.
Ida is barreling through Louisiana after making landfall in the state as a powerful Category 4 hurricane on Sunday afternoon.
It was one of the strongest hurricanes on record -- by both wind speed and pressure -- to roar ashore in Louisiana.
Ida, now a tropical storm, is hitting on the 16-year anniversary of Katrina, a Category 3 hurricane that ravaged the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Katrina unleashed a series of events, taking the lives of more than 1,800 people and leaving more than $100 billion worth of damage in its wake.
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More than 223,000 customers without power in Louisiana as Hurricane Ida moves through the state, according to poweroutage.us.
-ABC News' Will McDuffie
Eye of storm bringing extremely dangerous conditions to southeast Louisiana
Hurricane Ida is holding on to maximum sustained winds of 150 mph more than an hour after it made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
As Ida’s eye continues to move ashore, it is bringing powerful, damaging winds, torrential rain and dangerous storm surge to the southeast Louisiana coast.
The center of the storm is currently about 55 miles south-southwest of New Orleans and is moving northwest at 13 mph.
Ida will continue to move across southeastern Louisiana through Sunday afternoon, bringing major weather impacts to a widespread region.
Relentless heavy rain could trigger potentially significant flash flooding, while high wind gusts, dangerous storm surge and possible tornados also threaten the area.
Tornados are also possible in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle.
Storm surge concerns will be greatest Sunday afternoon and evening as the storm moves further inland. The surge could reach 8 to 12 feet in some spots along the coast of Louisiana and Mississippi.
An extreme wind warning remains in effect for the region, including in Grand Isle, Louisiana, which is currently reporting intense wind gusts.
Deteriorating conditions with heavy rounds of rain and possible flash flooding are expected in New Orleans over the next few hours.
The system will begin to weaken over the next few hours but will still bring dangerous hurricane conditions over a widespread area. A large swath of the Louisiana and Mississippi areas can see 10 to 20 inches.
The heavy rain and flash flooding threats will eventually reach the
Tennessee Valley Monday into Tuesday.
-ABC News’ Dan Peck
Louisiana officials urge residents to stay inside: 'There’s nobody coming right now'
Residents who did not evacuate storm-affected regions of Louisiana are being instructed to shelter in place, as conditions are now too perilous for first responders to save them.
"There’s nobody coming right now," said New Orleans Director of Homeland Security Collin Arnold Amayor during a press conference Sunday afternoon. "You need to stay inside."
People have even been instructed to avoid going to hospitals, which are hunkering down amid the life-threatening winds and heavy rain.
"Please do not try to access a health care or hospital facility right now," said Jennifer Avegno, director of the New Orleans Health Department. "Our hospitals are hunkering down. They are caring for the patients who are within their walls…We will be there for you when the storm passes."
-ABC News’ Joshua Hoyos and Will McDuffie
Ida marks 2 years in a row of record-breaking hurricanes in Louisiana
There have now been two years in a row of record-breaking hurricanes making landfall in Louisiana.
Hurricane Laura in 2020 and Hurricane Ida today were both packed with 150 mph winds.
The previous hurricane to contain winds at such speeds in Louisiana was the Last Island Hurricane in 1856.
When it comes to pressure, Ida is the second-strongest storm on record to hit Louisiana, beating out only Hurricane Katrina.
-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin
Gov. Edwards updates state on storm: 'This is a tough blow, but things are going to be ok'
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards provided another update on the damage from Hurricane Ida Monday evening.
Edwards said the state is still in a search and rescue mode as torrential rain and strong winds from the tropical depression continue to hit the state.
He said the entire southeastern section of the state is without power and over 1 million people are affected.
"There are an awful lot of unknowns right now," Edwards said. "I can't tell you when the power is going to be restored."
Edwards said the priority is to restore electricity to critical infrastructure and services, such as hospitals and dialysis centers.
Three hospitals were evacuated and a fourth is in the process of moving their patients, according to the governor.
Edwards said there was a "silver lining" from the storm in that there have been no reports of breached levees. There may have been a few levees where water overflowed, but the levees held up in critical locations, including New Orleans, according to the governor.
"They did not fail," he said.
Edwards urged homeowners who evacuated to not return to their homes until their parish leaders give the all-clear.
The Louisiana National Guard rescued 191 citizens and 27 pets so far across Jefferson, St. John the Baptist and Orleans parishes, Edwards said. They are conducting more sweeps through the affected areas.
The governor urged homeowners in affected areas to stay safe, as most hurricane fatalities take place long after the storm hits. He reminded people to use generators outside their houses, avoid driving through deep waters and not exert themselves during cleanups.
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Edwards did warn that he expects the death toll to rise, but said the numbers won't be as high if people heed warnings.
"This is a tough blow, but things are going to be OK," he said.