Hurricane Ida blasted ashore Sunday as one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the US, knocking out power to all of New Orleans, blowing roofs off buildings and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River as it rushed from the Louisiana coast into one of the nation’s most important industrial corridors. The hurricane was blamed for at least one death: a person found dead following a report of a fallen tree on a home in Prairieville, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook. The person, who was not identified, was pronounced dead.

An abandoned vehicle is half-submerged in a ditch next to a near flooded highway as the outer bands of Hurricane Ida. (Photo credit: AP)
A man takes pictures of high waves along the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. (Photo credit: AP)
Local residents watch the wind and waves along a seawall as outer bands of Hurricane Ida arrive in Bay Saint Louis. (Photo credit: AP)
A section of roof that was blown off of a building in the French Quarter by Hurricane Ida winds blocks an intersection in New Orleans. (Photo credit: AP)
A local resident on a jet ski tows a canoe to a flooded house as outer bands of Hurricane Ida arrive in Bay Saint Louis. (Photo credit: AP)
Terry Shelvin loads a case of water into his car along with food as Hurricane Ida approaches Louisiana. (Photo credit: AP)
A utility worker photographs waves as they slam against a sea wall at the city marina. (Photo credit: AP)