New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell has announced a night time
curfew in the city as hundreds of thousands of people in the US state of Louisiana sweltered in the
aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Tuesday with no electricity, no tap water, and very
little gasoline.

Cantrell has called the curfew an effort to prevent crime
after the hurricane devastated the power system and left the city in darkness. Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said there had been some arrests for stealing.

Officials have designated seven places around the city where
people could go for a meal and sit in the air conditioning for some time. According
to the mayor, the city is making use of 70 transit buses as cooling sites. Drive-thru
food, water, and ice distribution locations will also be set up on Wednesday.

Talking about the restoration of power to the city, the mayor said that though the main power company Entergy is expected to be able to
provide some electricity by Wednesday evening, a quick citywide restoration
should not be expected.

“We know it’s hot. We know we do not have any power and
that continues to be a priority,” she was quoted as saying by Boston25 News.

Entergy was looking at two options to “begin powering critical infrastructure in the area such as hospitals, nursing homes, and first responders,” the company said, according to AP.

Ida, which weakened to a tropical depression with top
sustained winds of 30 miles (48 kph), was centered over northern Mississippi
and Tennessee, but the National Weather Service said flash flooding was most
likely in central Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and western Maryland,
where 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 centimeters) could fall. Forecasters also warned
of higher wind gusts, and said Ida was most likely to spawn tornadoes in
eastern Alabama, western Georgia, and the Florida Panhandle.