Before the remnants of Hurricane Ida shut down the New York City subway system due to historic flooding, it slammed through the Louisiana coast on Sunday as a category four storm with winds up to 150 mph.

The death toll continues to rise across the United States in its aftermath, with around one million residents in Louisiana without power.

It doesn’t take long to reach the Louisiana state line once you leave the panhandle. According to a recent Instagram poll, 22% of Spinnakers followers currently have family and friends affected by Hurricane Ida.

Photo courtesy of the Spinnaker Creative Services Department. 

Jack, a UNF student, spoke with Spinnaker in a message and expressed his concern. 

“I have five plus family members that have been affected and limited contact with them,” he said.

As of Aug. 26, FEMA has begun its federal disaster assistance to augment state, tribal, and local recovery efforts for areas in Louisiana affected by Hurricane Ida. But it’s going to take weeks of a continuous effort to help the state return to normalcy. 

Another Osprey, Ethan Mohr, said in a message that he’s been in contact with his old coworker who lives in Hammond, Louisiana and they were in the thick of the storm with storm surges up to 15 feet. 

“Their Governor stated that they’ll be expecting no power for up to two-six weeks,” Ethan said. “I don’t know how anyone could go without power for that long.”

Louisiana is currently reporting 859,525 state outages. It’s a sobering thought as the country approaches the peak of hurricane season and has to withstand the remaining weeks of summer. 

“My thoughts and prayers go out to those families most affected and hope that Louisiana can recover quickly and effectively,” Ethan said. 

Headstones at a cemetery that flooded are seen in Somerville, N.J. Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. A stunned U.S. East Coast faced a rising death toll, surging rivers, tornado damage and continuing calls for rescue Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida walloped the region with record-breaking rain, drowning more than two dozen people in their homes and cars. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)

There is a GoFundMe page dedicated to supporting those affected by Hurricane Ida to assist in relief efforts. In addition, here is a list of ways to help Louisiana in its time of need. 

Donations:

• The American Red Cross 
• Greater New Orleans Foundation
• The United Way of Southeast Louisiana
• Imagine Water Works
• Project Hope
• Rebuilding Together 
• Save the Children
• World Central Kitchen

Volunteer:

• Mutual Aid Disaster Relief 
• NOLA Ready

Spinnaker will continue to monitor hurricane season and make sure to check back for more news following the aftermath of Ida.

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For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact editor@unfspinnaker.com.