Portland News

March 28, 2024
March 28, 2024

Hurricane Ida Leaves More than 600,000 People Without Potable Water and a Million Homes and Businesses Without Power

Image commercially licensed from: Unsplash

Source: Reuters

The devastation that Hurricane Ida left the residents of Houma, Louisiana, is quite overwhelming, leaving over 600,000 individuals without potable water and a million homes and businesses without any electricity. The storm damage that was revealed three days after the horrible hurricane shocked officials to the core, as reconnaissance efforts showed entire communities hammered to the ground.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards is calling for help, specifically emergency supplies and bulk fuel that will augment the basic needs of hundreds of thousands of residents affected by the hurricane. President Joe Biden is due to visit the area on Friday to see the extent of the damage for himself.

“The state of Louisiana provides fuel for the rest of the country. And now we need the rest of the country to give up a little bit of their fuel to come back to Louisiana,” Edwards said.

Hurricane Ida came during the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which left 1,800 casualties and nearly destroyed most of New Orleans. Residents of Louisiana came to remember that traumatic experience when Hurricane Ida came with strong winds that left numerous families homeless. The coastal towns of Jean Lafitte, Barataria, and lower Jean Lafitte were all badly hit.

Mayor Tim Kerner of Jean Lafitte revealed that the town sustained catastrophic flooding and an estimated 90% damage to most homes in the area. Local authorities shared that at least 400 people decided to stay despite the storm warning. As a result, dozens of them ended up on rooftops and attics waiting to be rescued by local emergency responders.

The island town of Grand Isle was declared uninhabitable by its parish president after structures were covered by three feet of sand after the storm passed.

“I had no idea how devastating the storm was,” Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng said in a news conference. She flew over to Grand Isle and the other areas that Ida devastated together with U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, whose district bore the storm’s fierceness the most.

“We are a broken community right now,” Lee Sheng sadly announced. “It looks like matchsticks, like a little pile of matchsticks that you’re flying over.”

On the Grand Isle alone, with a population of 740 people, structures sustained heartbreaking damages. 40% of its structures were destroyed, according to Sheng.

As of August 31, a lot of homes in many areas were left submerged in water. NASA images gave authorities a clear picture of the blackout situation in Louisiana, affecting Houma, Thibodaux, and New Orleans.

According to authorities, the storm left six casualties, two of which were electricity workers in Alabama, who were doing important repairs on the power grid when the storm broke.

Hurricane Ida was classified a Category 4, the second-highest classification for hurricanes, and made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana, south of New Orleans. It had maximum sustained winds of 150 miles an hour after it crossed the warmest and driest part of the Gulf of Mexico. After it made landfall, the hurricane started to steadily weaken and was downgraded to a tropical storm, with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour.

At present, there are more than 1,600 emergency personnel deployed across the state to do search and rescue initiatives.

Rosco P Set to Stamp a Strong Presence in the Music Industry with the Release of His EP D.R.U.G’s

Years after bursting into the music scene with his undeniable talents, Rosco P, born Marcus Duane Jones, is set to make a more profound mark with his upcoming EP, D.R.U.G’s, an acronym for “Dear Rager’s Ur Gods.” The EP, scheduled for release on July 12, 2021, is a five-track collection of songs produced entirely by Pianogotkeys. D.R.UG’s is Rosco P’s way of showcasing his vocal range and versatility across music sounds and vibes.

“I believe true “Ragers” will enjoy these songs as they portray a different side of me compared to what they have seen on previous projects I’ve released,” he said.

Rosco P is an independent artist looking to get his name out there and land himself a recording deal with a major record label. The Lansing, Michigan-born artist has worked with talented producers like Big Emm, Kaz Drumatik and most recently, PianogotKeys, who produced all the songs on D.R.U.G’s He has featured on radio stations like Power Columbus 107.5 and The Beat 106.3. His goal is to achieve massive success in the entertainment industry, either as a signed artist or independent artist.

Aiming for success, some of Rosco P’s favorite quotes include “Rage on,” “Heavy is the crown a leader wears,” and “By any means,” which are all pointers to how much work he is ready to put into his blossoming music career. The work is evident in his upcoming body of work, D.R.U.G’s, which features Lil Jairmy, one of the rising stars in Houston, Texas, signed to 4PF. Other artists he has worked with include Molly Brazy, Baby’s World, Loudiene, Loso Loaded, Kodie Shane, Waka Flocka, Big Sean, and A$AP Rocky. He’s open to working with a wide variety of artists in the industry and, hopefully, will go on tour with a major established act within a year.

His music influence is drawn majorly from his uncle, who was a professional jazz musician back in the days. Rosco P chose hip-hop music, and over the years, he has honed his music writing and delivery skills and cultivated his sound based on influence from new school artists like The Weekend and Travis Scott.  He has been on tour with Kodie Shawn, where he blended perfectly with other talented artists and would like to get on the road again after the release of his EP.

D.R.U.G’s is Rosco P’s way of shedding the spotlight on his music and himself. Describing his artistry, “My showmanship level is beyond where I should be. I’ve put in countless hours of studying show footage of talented artists, dissecting how they move across the stage, and analyzing every aspect of crowd engagement displayed. I reverse-engineered the music process, in my own opinion. Most upcoming artists don’t have very many large shows until obtaining a certain stature, but I did, and it pushed me to learn how to perform and entertain,” he said.

With professionalism being his biggest selling point after his talent, Rosco P sees the sky as the beginning. He plans to establish a record label someday to uplift younger artists in his community, work with bigger brands in the fashion industry and become a notable influence for every young person who enjoys listening to music. His vision for his career is clear, and he has taken the first step with the scheduled announcement of D.R.U.G’s the EP, counting on the support of his loyal fans, the Ragers.

Learn more about Rosco P and get updates on his upcoming projects by following him on Instagram and Twitter. You can also stream his upcoming EP on Apple Music and Spotify.