Fuel is in short supply in Louisiana, where many residents are relying on gas-powered generators in the wake of Hurricane Ida’s destruction, and the shortage is slowing the long and complicated recovery efforts, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.
More than 960,000 customers are still without power in the state, according to PowerOutages.US. And those in the hardest-hit areas could experience outages for weeks, the regional electric utility Entergy has warned.
As of Tuesday, as many as eight refineries were down, with one or two coming back up Wednesday, Edwards said, and the state is working with federal partners and with the business community to identify ways fuel can be brought into the state.
Fuel problem hampering recovery: When Ida slammed into the Gulf Coast on Sunday, the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, it was a Category 4 hurricane. It has since downgraded to a tropical depression and moved north, where its remnants caused heavy flooding Wednesday.
There have been at least five confirmed deaths tied to the hurricane.
As officials sift through the wreckage to assess damage, rescue residents and store infrastructure, the fuel problem is “impacting all of our recovery efforts,” Edwards said.
