‘There’s nobody coming right now’: New Orleans mayor, other officials warn residents to stay home
During a press conference Sunday afternoon, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell told residents that now is the time to hunker down and stay home just ahead of Hurricane Ida’s landfall just before noon local time.
“You are not to come out until you receive more information from the city of New Orleans,” Cantrell said during a press conference on Sunday afternoon. “Now is the time that we have been preparing for and even waiting for as it relates to Hurricane Ida.”
Collin Arnold, director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, echoed the mayor, warning residents that emergency services wouldn’t be able to reach them until Monday.
“You need to stay inside until tomorrow. We’ll look at this during the first light of day,” Arnold said. “There’s nobody coming right now. You need to stay inside.”
Officials at the news conference warned that residents who didn’t evacuate but had changed their mind Sunday afternoon would be out of luck, and that they should not call the police.
“As Ida moves closer we will see sustained winds of 75 mph. These are life-threatening winds. You absolutely need to remain indoors,” Arnold said.
Cantrell also urged residents to conserve water as the storm moved in and acknowledged that some residents had begun losing power.
Officials also noted that the city is in a different place than it was 16 years ago when Hurricane Katrina tore through New Orleans, noting that $14 billion had been invested in the levee system. The levees are not a concern at this moment, officials said.
“You have everything that you need,” Cantrell said. “We will get through this together.”
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