PEARL, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves held a news conference on Monday, August 30, to discuss Hurricane Ida. The storm was downgraded to a tropical depression.
Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday, August 29, which was the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Before Ida made landfall, Reeves declared a State of Emergency for Mississippi.
The governor said eight counties have submitted initial damage reports from the storm. Shelters are also open for people in the state.
Reeves said Ida is expected to leave Mississippi around 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 31. According to the forecast, the state is expected to receive a significant amount of rainfall from Ida until then.
If Mississippians need help finding resources, Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Executive Director Stephen McCraney said they can find those resources at https://www.msema.org/. People in Mississippi, who evacuated from Louisiana, can find information about their state at ready.nola.gov.
Senior Deputy and Director of Health Protection Jim Craig, with the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH), announced five hospitals in the state are on a mixture of electric grids and generators, while six have minor damage.
He said three water systems in the state are not operational at this time. Click here to see the boil water notices that have been issued.
When it comes to COVID-19, he said it would not be surprising to see more cases after the storm because people have been indoors and in more crowded spaces.
On Monday, President Joe Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved the State of Mississippi’s request for a pre-disaster Emergency Measures declaration for the entire state due to Hurricane Ida.
The governor met with President Biden virtually on Monday to provide an update on the impacts of Ida in Mississippi. Reeves said he directed Adjutant General of Mississippi Janson Boyles to reach out to his counterpart in Louisiana, and the state would send Mississippi National Guard members to help with the recovery efforts in Louisiana.