Louisiana power could be out for weeks; Ida pours rain on Southeast

Workers makes repairs in New Orleans after Hurricane Ida on Tuesday. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI Frustrated residents in New Orleans wait for ice outside a gas station on Rampart Street on Tuesday. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI A man is loaded into an ambulance in downtown New Orleans on Tuesday. Oppressive heat and no power has make many in the area vulnerable to heat related Illnesses. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI Workers use a bobcat to load a truck with tree branches that fell during Hurricane Ida. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI There were long lines at the Costco in New Orleans, where some lucky residents were able to fill up their cars with gas Tuesday. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI Resident crowd a grocery store in Uptown New Orleans in search of ice and food after Hurricane Ida. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI The roof from a nearby building lies in the street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, La., on Monday in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI Damage to a building and a vehicle are seen in downtown New Orleans, La., on Monday in the aftermath of Hurricane Iday. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI A Louisiana resident removes tree branches from a street in front of her house in Uptown New Orleans, La., on Monday after Hurricane Ida passed through. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI A brick wall on the side of the Little Gem Saloon collapsed during Hurricane Ida in downtown New Orleans, La., on Monday. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI The roof of Jax Brewery lies in the street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, La., on Monday in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- More than a million people in Louisiana began Tuesday in the second day of a power outage that could last for weeks after the impact of Hurricane Ida.

Crews were moving in to assess the extent of the damage to power grids in New Orleans and elsewhere in the state.

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Electricity has been out since Sunday, when Ida arrived as a Category 4 hurricane, toppling scores of power poles and damaging equipment.

Utility company Entergy said a transmission tower fell near Avondale and conductors and wires fell into the Mississippi River. As of early Tuesday, about 1.02 million customers in Louisiana were without power, according to Poweroutage.us. About 60,000 had no electricity in neighboring Mississippi, which was also impacted by Ida.

"This will be a marathon, not a sprint," Entergy New Orleans President and CEO Deanna Rodriguez told WDSU-TV. "We're working as safely and quickly as we can, but recovery will vary depending on the damage incurred and its location.

"We must all be prepared for the recovery to take some time."

Some customers could be without power for more than three weeks, officials said, but Entergy said 90% of customers will be restored sooner, WDSU reported.

Entergy said a team of more than 20,000 people has started assessing damage throughout southeast Louisiana.

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport said all flights were canceled for Tuesday and 200 have been canceled for Wednesday.

A partial highway collapse in Mississippi killed two people following heavy rainfall from Ida. A portion of Highway 26 in Lucedale crumbled late Monday. Three people were critically hurt.

Images from the scene show that the earth supporting the roadway had given way, wiping out a large portion of the paved road above in the process.

Authorities in St. Tammany Parish, La., said they're investigating another death related to the storm, due to an alligator attack in the Slidell area.

A 71-year-old man was attacked by an alligator outside his home, which is located near the Southeast Louisiana Wildlife refuge.

The man's wife said he was checking on his outdoor shed when he was attacked. Officials said they have not yet found his body, but are certain that he's dead. A 60-year-old man was also killed Sunday when he was struck by a falling tree.

Ida continued to produce heavy rainfall on Tuesday as it tracked inland through the Southeast, according to the National Weather Service.

The NWS said Ida will cross the Appalachians and the Mid-Atlantic Coast on Thursday. Considerable flash and urban flooding impacts are expected Tuesday across the Southeast. On Wednesday, it will move over the Tennessee Valley.

AccuWeather founder and CEO Joel N. Myers estimated the total damage and economic loss resulting from Hurricane Ida will be between $70 billion and $80 billion.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell will visit Baton Rouge, La., on Tuesday to survey damage, the White House said.