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NEW VIDEO: Hurricane Ida kills two people, public health emergencies are declared


As Ida continued moving through Mississippi Monday afternoon, officials report a second storm-related death and declare public health emergencies for Mississippi and Louisiana. The video above shows Ida hitting multiple parts of Mississippi and President Joe Biden meeting with local and state leaders about the damage left by the storm.

According to the National Hurricane Center, as of 2:00 p.m. EDT, Ida was located southwest of Jackson, Mississippi. It was moving north/northeast at about 9 mph. The center said Ida is expected to continue moving through western and central Mississippi Monday and gain speed as it moves through northeastern Mississippi Monday night. Then it is expected to move across the Tennessee Valley Tuesday and hit the Appalachians on Wednesday.

“We know Hurricane Ida had the potential to cause massive, massive damage, and and that’s exactly what we saw,” President Biden said. “Some folks are still dealing with the storm surge and flash flooding. And there are roads that are impassable due to debris and downed power lines.”

Back in Louisiana, the state reported its second death related to Ida. The second victim is a motorist who drowned in New Orleans. The first victim was killed by a falling tree outside of Baton Rouge.

Both Louisiana and Mississippi were both put under public health emergencies due to Ida by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. The declaration pauses certain payment rules and other requirements that could get in the way of hospitals and doctors trying to provide services under stressful conditions.

Biden told state officials to contact the White House if they need additional support even though the effort is being led by FEMA. “We’ll get you what you need if we can,” Biden said. “The people of Louisiana and Mississippi are resilient. But it’s in moments like these where we can certainly see the power of government to respond to the needs of the people, if government’s prepared and if they respond.”

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Joe Biden, U.S. President: “We know Hurricane Ida had the potential to cause massive, massive damage, and and that’s exactly what we saw. We already know there’s been at least one confirmed death and a number, that number is likely to grow. And I’ve got, we’ve got a million people in Louisiana without power. And for a time Ida caused the Mississippi River to literally change its direction. And some folks are still dealing with the storm surge and flash flooding. And there are roads that are impassable due to debris and downed power lines. And we need people to continue to shelter in place if it’s safe for them to do so.”

“We also know a lot of people lost their cell phone service if their particular carrier tower is down or damaged. So this morning, the Federal Communications Commission has worked with the cellular providers to initiate their cooperative framework agreement. That agreement allows customers on one line, with one provider, to go to another provider if that provider is down. So it allows customers to use roaming access carriers, any of the carriers that are up and running. And that means you should be able to get a signal no matter who your carrier was or is. The main thing I want to make clear to all of you is we’re providing any help that you’re going to need.”

“The people of Louisiana and Mississippi are resilient and but it’s in moments like these that we can certainly see the power of government to respond to the needs of the people if governments are prepared and if they respond. That’s our job, if we work together. When folks get knocked down, we’re there to help you get back on your feet. The most important element, though, is coordinating all the branches of government, state, local and federal. And that’s what we’re trying to make sure that we try to do before this hurricane hit. That’s why we began working together, we’re going to stand with you and the people of the Gulf as long as it takes for you to recover.”