As first responders continued search and rescue operations one day after Hurricane Ida came ashore Aug. 29 in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 150 miles per hour and higher, the state began the long task of assessing the storm damage—from Port Fourchon, La., which handles 18% of U.S. offshore oil traffic to New Orleans, the state capital in Baton Rouge and the state's northern border.
“The next several days and weeks will not be easy,” Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said during an afternoon press conference Aug. 30.