we will continue to check in in new orleans. now i want to go to nbc miguel l maguire in baton rouge, where winds of it picking up speed over the last hour or so. i can see it behind you. i can see the way the winds are swirling around. why is the latest from the state capital? >> chris, we've seen pretty violent in pretty study weather here in baton rouge of the last couple of hours. we expected to stay this way for the next several. hours that's part of the big problem here. just over my shoulder we have two police officers who are meeting in the middle of the street. we know now that folks here have been told not to expect any rescues at this hour, because the conditions have turned so violent. unfortunately, we know people have lost power in this area, it's another issue, that the capital city is dealing with. there's 225,000 people who lived in baton rouge. nearly no one evacuated the mayor told us a short time ago. she said almost everybody was going to ride out the storm at home. and as of now, there has not been the need

that's ali velshi from new orleans. let's continue to miguel almaguer in baton rouge, louisiana, which is expecting more of the storm, and the parish that baton rouge is partly in, east baton rouge parish, issued a curfew. that's the most populous parish in louisiana. orleans parish where ali is is the third most populous. what more can you tell us about how the city is preparing for the worst of the storm? >> yeah, joshua. curfew is under way for the general public. media is allowed to broadcast outside and keep people abreast of the situation here. i can tell you, the situation is deteriorating over the last couple hours. the winds here began to pick up as we started to hit the front bands of the hurricane. as bill karins alluded to earlier today, and as the mayor of the city told us just a couple hours ago, they expected baton rouge to be in the direct path of this hurricane. now, whether that materializes will still be yet to be seen over the next couple hours, we're expecting the situation here to continue to deter

as this system spins counter clock wise to the west of new orleans. >> make no mistake, new orleans is used to rain. but 20 inches is a lot of rain even for a city that specialized in wet stuff. stand by, robert, he said a matter of your perspective where you are. i want to go to canal street now in new orleans. caroline is there to give us her perspective. reporter: we lost power about an hour ago, throughout afternoon it was steady rain and wind, coming at you sideways, we heard screeches of meetal, we avoided it. it is dangerous but we could see it coming, but now we're in the dark it will get dangerous. new orleans mayor said stay in place, police chief said, think of our police officers and firefighters, they have families too. now we had steady wind banks in afternoon. and we have tourists still on the streets, that is what the mayor does not want to happen, rescue folks may not be able to get to you. they said you may have to be by yourself for 3 days. >> bus just went by, i am wondering if there are people on the bus or bus may go to storage. i don't know if you could turnover

here in new orleans it is quiet now. you mentioned it. the power is out across the city and the damage is widespread across the area including at hospitals with covid patients. overnight the brunt of ida's fury slamming the louisiana coastline. emergency officials getting calls from people who did not evacuate the barrier island of grand isle saying water in their home is up to their chest. in nearby lafitte authorities warning that a levee is failing putting at least 200 people in, quote, imminent danger. >>e have many requests for rescue certainly in the lafitte area but also up here, people have had and sustained damage to their homes. we have a senior center of independent living but they had about a third of their roof get damaged. they were taking in water. >> reporter: earlier a barge that got loose slammed into a bridge that leads to lafitte making it nearly impossible for rescuers to reach people. >> i'm told the vessel has sunk so those folks, if that is the case and i've seen pictures, they'll have to use a ferry for a couple o

a direct hit on new orleans. they're getting some very haugh rains and strong winds, but this is probably about as close to new orleans as the center, the actual eye wall, is going to be. if you pay attention to hurricanes, you do know typically the worst conditions are on the right-hand side of the storm or the eastern side of the storm, and we are seeing this. these are our recent wind gusts, new orleans 60s, 70s and closer to 80 i saw recently. very powerful winds off to the eastern side of this storm. and as this continues to move on up to the north, such a big storm that a we still see a very large area with hurricane warnings, all the way up to the state line because it's moving slow, because the winds are still powerful, it's going to be one you have to pay attention to more than just right along the coast. this is our forecast. taking you into this evening, still a category 1 hurricane before eventually overnight weakening into a tropical storm as it continues to make that move up to the north. but it's g

the strongest at the airport in new orleans, 83 so far. this is as close as the storm will get to downtown new orleans. it's roughly 20 to 25 miles due west, and the winds will continue overnight and slowly come down as the storm begins to weaken. the 8:00 advisory from the hurricane center, we have taken 5 miles per hour off the storm again. landfall was seven hours ago, 150 miles per hour. now we're at 120 maximum sustained winds. category 3, so we still have a major hurricane seven hours after landfall. you can thank all the warm swamp water after that. even on radar, it's starting to finally look a little more ragged. the forecast overnight takes it just to the east of baton rouge. that's going to be on the back side of the storm. those winds will be weaker than you were expecting earlier, and the storm will go up into areas of mississippi and eventually the tennessee valley. as we go throughout the next two to three days, we'll focus on the aftermath of the storm surge and also the wind. but we're going to have a flood story all the w

that is including the new orleans area. stretching over close to baton rouge and then a whole lot of moisture is going to run with this, running up the mississippi river, eventually getting into the ohio river valley and then up into new england, that's still a couple days away but flooding is going to be one of the major concerns from the mississippi delta and getting up into mississippi, even over portions of alabama, flooding a big concern, it's going to be a busy next 24 hours and of course we will be watching it. mike and jackie, back to you. mike: 20 inches of rain in new orleans, sounds like the biggest test of the levee system since katrina 16 years ago. >> reporter: it will be. mike: adam, thanks very much. heavy rain could make for major flooding in the big easy as hurricane ida comes ashore there. this is one of the biggest hurricanes in recent years. jeff paul is on the ground in new orleans. jeff, what's the latest on the ground this hour? >> yeah, mike, hurricane ida made landfall not too long ago but pretty s

and really, it has gotten worse at new orleans and benefited us. and it was expected sort of the core of the storm, after making landfall, would really track right, over baton rouge. instead, after it made landfall, it took a bit of a jog to the right and what that has done is bring more of the core into new orleans, and it has been hours on end of hurricane force winds and the heavy rain and all the impacts that come along with it. new orleans is largely below sea level and the water has to be pumped out. rainwater on a normal summer day — any rain that comes down has to be pumped out. those pumps are dependent on power. they had backup power systems. the main power grid, as you mentioned, is down. they are having catastrophic failures, as you talked about. the sewage and water board that's in charge of that pumping system has been providing some updates and they are really scrambling. they have some backup systems but obviously it is not ideal. unfortunately, i think we are going to wake up tomorrow morning to some real ugly scenes. and new orl

now you're in new orleans. what is that like for you emotionally seeing all the suffering up close and personal? >> listen, once we make a decision we make the decision a plate of food is the beginning of a better tomorrow. we try to do specifically that. in india we were in 17 cities feeding more than 85 hospitals because the systems were breaking down. people were not going to work to the kitchens. that is why organizations like this had to step up and start covering all those needs. for me, i'm a cook that feeds a few. like many other chefs not only in america but around the world. and for us to be of service and helping people in a moment of need is probably the best call and the best thing we can do. so, again, one plate of food at a time doesn't solve every problem but at least it brings relief in real time as quick as we can so we can start thinking always about reconstruction. >> jose andres, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you for having me. >>> and i'm pamela brown in washington. you are in

that's - correct, parts of new orleans to 5-10 correct, parts of new orleans to 5—10 feet below sea level which is maintained with a complicated levee system and pumps to remove water when rainfall falls within the confines of the levee and occasionally, like what happened with hurricane katrina, as levees becomes breech and we have a few breached levees in and around the region but nothing like we saw with hurricane katrina when we flooded most of the metropolitan area in new orleans and lines property itself. this is just —— itself. this isjust —— and new orleans property itself. this isjust smaller towns in and around the city but not the main part of the city but we are definitely well aware of the levees that well aware of the levees that we either overtop or breached so we do have some of those issues. , , , , , issues. just briefly, president biden has _ issues. just briefly, president biden has declared _ issues. just briefly, president biden has declared it - issues. just briefly, president biden has declared it a - issues. just briefly, president biden has declared it a

just south of new orleans. officials warn that more than 200 people are in intimate danger there, and need to seek higher ground. one death has been confirmed elsewhere in the state. a 60-year-old man was killed, when his house was hit by a falling tree near baton rouge. in the entire city of new orleans is in the dark tonight, the power companies say it suffered catastrophic transmission damage. the number of people without power, throughout louisiana, is now more than 1 million, and rising. and there are fears that some of those people could remain without power, four weeks. one area of particular concern tonight, louisiana's hospitals. we have seen harrowing video today of two different hospitals, they have had portions of their roofs blown off. at least to louisiana hospitals that have been damaged, are hoping to evacuate dozens of patients as soon as the weather permits, but there are not many places for evacuated patients to go. we louisiana's hospitals are full of covid patients, as are the hospitals in

new orleans, this is the peak of the storm for the new orleans area. the levees, they protected the city. really no impact from that whatsoever. the rain is coming down in sleets right now. it's going to pour maybe the next 18 to 24 hours. up to 16 inches possible. we'll see how the pumps handle that. then the wind gust, that damage is being done now. we probably won't know, won't be enough time before sunset to see how much damage was done. you can see the live pictures there. we'll get a better idea early in the morning tomorrow how much damage the 80 to 100-mile-per-hour wind gusts have done in the city. as of now, minor roof damage, structural damage to awnings, things like that. the hurricane center, we'll wait for that next update to see if it finally drops down to a category 3, one more tick down to 125 would be a category 3. we had a couple tornado warnings. one for the gulfport area of mississippi, and that storm has moved inland away from the coast, but that's going to be the trend all night long tonight, the possibility of these outer bands

it has gotten worse. —— new orleans. we are about 70 miles away from new orleans. we were expecting the 0rleans. we were expecting the stock to track right instead it took a bit of a job to the right and it has brought hurricane force winds for hours over new orleans.— hurricane force winds for hours over new orleans. that will put the ci 's over new orleans. that will put the city's relatively _ over new orleans. that will put the city's relatively new - over new orleans. that will put the city's relatively new flood . the city's relatively new flood systems to the test. also, does it mean because i understand if the speed of the wind has fallen slightly, but it may yet get more rainfall as a result? brain is definitely a concern in new orleans. i do not know how many of your viewers are aware but it is largely at sea level and rainwater has to be pumped out on a normal summer day. any rain has to be pumped out. those pumps are dependent on power. they had backed up power systems. the main power grid is down and they are having catastrophic failures. the sewage

i am joshua johnson in new york with ali velshi joining us in new orleans. janessa, what can you tell us? we'll get to janessa webb in just a minute. we are going to bring you back to ali velshi in just a moment. hurricane ida made landfall this afternoon, and currently remains a strong category 2 storm. we have been keeping an eye on a number of alerts of damage from the storm, and power is the primary issue, and entergy is the power company, and they are out of power and it's causing an imbalance in transmission. this is a compounded problem because they need that for a lot of things, including pumping water away from the levees. let me be clear, we have no reports of damage to levees. there's reports of flash flooding and an emergency that has been issued by the weather service, but that's not pursuant to damage of the levees. we will keep an eye on that and continue to update you as the evening goes on. we have plenty of correspondents out in the field, and ali velshi is in new orleans, and janessa web, we'll start with you. what can you tell us? >> we a

nadia ramirez on the ground for us in new orleans. very serious warnings from the mayor, from homeland security specialist. be prepared, be prepared to be without power. significant flooding. are people prepared? what are you seeing. you're there in the french quarter. >> reporter: wolf, you can hear behind me, a man came out to play his trumpet and to do what you would normally have happen in french quarter, enjoy that jazz music. we have that outer band make its way through, and because of that, so many people scattered, especially tourists realizing that the hurricane is a real threat. when it was nice and sunny, people weren't taking it seriously. now people are starting to leave the area because we had the first outer band make its way. behind me, business owners have been through this before, boarded up here, ready for the storm. sand bags here as well. there are sandbagging stations all throughout, not just new orleans but throughout louisiana. we heard from the mayor of new orleans saying now is the time to leave. leave if you

new orleans was a little worse. that's because of the shift in new orleans after it made landfall. we were thinking 12 to 16 inches of rain. but with that shift to the east, the heavy rain is situated over mississippi and the alabama border than it is over areas from baton rouge. it's barely even raining in new orleans right now. maybe that's a glimmer of home for when the sun comes up in new orleans. they'll get some rain, but the torrential rains will be to your east. eventually it will be heading up to areas like birmingham and tuscaloosa. as far as the forecast goes, the areas you see in yellow and red, that's the heavy rainfall. today it moves slowly across mississippi. there will be a tornado threat this afternoon. and areas of nashville up to kentucky. once you get a storm like this in the mountainous areas of chattanooga, that's where you'll see flash flooding. on wednesday the storm passes over the afternoon lay shans in the areas of west virginia. pennsylvania, even washington, d.c., could get heavy rain come wednesday evening, and the flood threat will go over the top of

brian todd, cnn, new orleans. >>> and just south of new orleans, the situation in jefferson parish is rapidly deteriorating. parish take a listen to this. >> right now my concern is we've lost contact with grand isle, so that is the island right on the gulf of mexico that i've been very, very concerned about. we lost contact with them. we've not been able to reach them. so i don't know what they're going through. then closer up here, still outside the hurricane protection system, an area called lafitte. in lower lafitte, crown point, the water is rising. people are in their homes, and we're getting reports of people with water up to their chest. they're asking to be rescued. so very, very dark situation, and we just can't get out yet. >> that is dire. what else are you hearing from people calling in? i mean that is horrific. >> it is horrific. we're almost -- the electrical grid is just almost out. we're probably at 95% out of electricity. a very large transmission tower came down that fed a lot of our community, so we're getting reports of roof damage, you know, trees down, tree root

tom, let's get to new orleans. they know well what a horrific hurricane means with katrina and the 16th anniversary. >> hurricane ida is getting stronger by the second. they're boarding up up to the last minute. over here we met david who is boarding up all this restaurant over here. this is the corner oyster house in the french quarter. they put up some of these plastic barriers which, i'll be honest, a good effort. but i'm not sure how much they will protect from the hurricane force winds and we have the sandbags in case any water comes down here. but people are trying to do whatever they can because this really is a monster in the gulf. now, no mandatory evacuation order under way in new orleans. only for a few areas outside the levee system and yet we saw lines of traffic from people trying to leave new orleans yesterday. hours and hours of traffic to be specific. i have an uncle trying to get out of new orleans yesterday to go to mobile about a two and a half hour drive and took him nine hours yesterday. the m

all new orleans can do now is wait. the fear of what's to come has paralysed this otherwise carefree city. earlier, masses rushed to the airport to evacuate before it shut down, as ida grew rapidly in strength. many others took to the road. we have two kids in the car — they're both 12 months. we really wanted to evacuate for them. like, best case scenario is, like, power outages and some minor flooding. worst case, i don't even want to think of that. for those who stayed, like ella and charles with their newborn son, storm preparation has become a way of life. every year, it's on the back of your mind that a big storm could and probably will come. each year, the number of storms increases, their intensity increases. the governor of the state has warned this could be an historic hurricane. we're absolutely doing everything that we can now to get people to take those last—minute steps, but really we asked people to make sure that when they went to bed last night they were prepared to ride out the storm and that they

but it is not doing that damage in new orleans as well as flooding new orleans, which of course we remember was such a big problem in hurricane katrina. not a great situation, but not as bad as it could have been here in new orleans, rev. >> ali, i remember katrina well. in fact, 16 years ago we were down in new orleans, many of us, in the civil rights community, because of the levees breaking. as you said, they have spent millions of dollars since then in the new orleans area. but are there structural problems that are of concern in baton rouge and houma, where you say the storm has gone? >> yes. big structural problems, actually. we have got reporters there who are reporting. we are seeing videos of roofs being blown down, of buildings sort of coming apart. the winds there are very, very heavy. we have got 140-mile-per-hour sustained winds west of here. there is very little that can withstand that, even if you have built things up. that's part of the issue west of here. they are going to be hit hard. at port fourchon all the oil pipelines come in. it is built to withstand some of the hars

still ripping through new orleans. the gulf coast rocked sunday by 150 mile per hour winds as hurricane ida came ashore as a category four. louisiana the state that is no stranger to hurricanes now bracing for one of its toughest test yet if you had to draw up. the worst possible path for hurricane in louisiana it would be something very, very close to what we're seeing residents have been warned to shelter in place and stay off the roads as it could be a while before first responders are able to reach those who need help the storm growing in intensity so quickly that new orleans had no time to organize a full evacuation those who have stuck around now have no choice but to ride it out we were slightly blood sided because we can't come out of him and just checking the weather it it sells use that is going to be rain, but didn't say anything about a hurricane hundreds of thousands have already lost power and it could be weeks until it's fully restored the new orleans levee system rebuilt and improved after katrina now f

that means a million people in new orleans. the entire city of new orleans in the dark. that's where we'll start with al. what's the latest there? >> guys, i will tell you, i look all around. we can hear the sound of generators. very few lights. it is breezy. the rain has stopped. of course, that means we have a lot of devastation. it is dark. we don't really have an idea until the sun comes up of what we'll see. we were hunkered down in our hotel. there is a lot of flooding. we are in downtown new orleans. give you a sense of the power of the system. the strongest wind gusts where ida came on shore, port fourchon. we had 172-mile-an-hour wind gusts. in new orleans, 87-mile-an-hour wind gusts. that's tough. we've heard about sky scraper windows getting blown out. a real mess here. right now, ida is 95 miles south, southwest of jackson, mis. moving north at eight miles an hour. this is going to be a slow mover and high impact storm. today, slowly moving across mississippi. a tornado risk still across the gulf. tomorrow that moisture will merge with a front increasing the

the entire city of new orleans has lost power. and fireflies on the threat and central mexico by people flocking to see the ah, we begin in afghanistan where the u. s. has carried out a drone strike in cobble targeting suspected suicide bombers. according to some meter reports, 9 members of one family, including 6 children, were among the dead. american officials say they were targeting a group they suspected were planning an attack on the cities airport. well, the us central command has responded to those media reports to 0. gabriel is on the has more than that from washington d. c. the sent come spokesperson saying that they are investigating that they are aware of the media reports and that they are saying that they cannot yet confirm that. but in the statement, they are saying that there were powerful subsequent explosions after the drone strike insinuating that the drone strike hit the vehicle. and then there were caused one explosion, killing those inside. but then there were perhaps, according to that sent com, subsequent e

it's a nasty night ahead for new orleans. people there need to hunker down as conditions deteriorate over the coming hours. you're now looking at mobile bay. these are some more pictures coming in from mobile bay, alabama. the outer bands of this hurricane are just vicious right now and they're getting some very significant rainfall as that storm hits other parts of the gulf coast. stay with us. our special hurricane coverage continues right after this. you're live in the cnn newsroom. air wick essential mist transforms fragrance infused with natural essential oils into a mist. with an extra boost of fragrance you can see... smell... and feel. it's air care redefined. air wick essential mist, connect to nature. the live better u program basically just provides the answer to the question: what if? with live better u, my 'what ifs' were erased. ♪ ♪ if you have diabetes, you should wear a dexcom. i'm on this one because it's the best. and because it works. it's easy to wear. you put it on, and the numbers are there. no finge

the west side of new orleans would have more damage than the east side of the new orleans in the morning. and it was a good point. all the power is going out. a storm looks different when the sun the keep daylight. it will be as dark and pitch black as can be. >> you're staying with me. i appreciate that comment you made about how viewers wanted to know why you were out in the rain. i'm glad tow sue twitter has found you. please stay safe. >>> storm surge and high winds are the major concern for people in jefferson parish. the parish sheriff joins us now on the phone. thank you for your time. talk me through situation right now in your community. >> we've been pretty unique. grand isle is the southern most border. we are catching hurricane ida from the coast to where we are now in our population center next to the city of new orleans. and our population center, we're getting in front of it with the winds averaging in the 100 miles an hour and gusts in the 130 range on our west bank around the airport. and so that area -- i can look out my window. it is not looking good out there. we'll k

in new orleans, the new levees after katrina did hold. that was reassuring, but the city's reinforced power grid did not. tonight, more than a million customers across louisiana are without power and the utility now warning it could take weeks to restore. no way to charge phones, for many, no way to call for help. hospitals filled with covid patients had no choice but to shelter in place. this hospital, the roof torn off. ochsner health system suffering damage on some of their buildings. tonight, the images of the coast guard, the helicopters taking off as soon as they could to try to assess the damage, out searching for people who stayed in their homes. reports some trapped in their attics for many hours. some waving to the coast guard above. tonight, we know of at least two deaths. the governor saying tonight that we should be prepared for that number to rise. and this storm is still moving across the south and then right up into the northeast. there are real concerns going into tonight and, of course, the days ahead. ginger zee standin

this is the moment, check this out, when power went out in new orleans. lln customs non dark ck gerators are keing the city's pumps going. and for now the levees improved after hurricane katrina are still working. >> the only road to the coastal town of grand isle has been flooded by six feet of water. officials say the community could be cut off for weeks. we'll have to wait until daybreak to see the full scope of the damage. abc's elizabeth schulze has the latest from new orleans. >> reporter: hurricane ida is ripping through louisiana, leaving devastation in its path. ida coming ashore as a powerful category 4 storm and staying as a cat 4 for several more hours. >> this is one of the strongest storms to make landfall here in modern times. >> reporter: hurricane hunters flying into the storm's stunning 17-mile-wide eye. after landfall catastrophic storm surge of up to eight feet. winds up to 150 miles an hour. >> we are here in the heart of new orleans just as this storm has made landfall. you can feel how strong these winds are. this is the mississippi

all the way through new orleans. right now, there's been quite a few reports of a place called lip last, which is just east of new orleans, the water there surged low spots there. the good news is we have an approved levee system that could start working there really soon, and would prevent that from happening. but this is happened several times before. with water coming out and getting into this >> so thinking ahead, general, to the coming days, we are now at 1 million plus and climbing. lots of clean water, potentially, in places. what kind of resources are there that need to be mobilized? >> don't forget covid. all the hospitals in the nation are full. this is gonna be a big challenge within a matter of hours. search and rescue will be able to be going again a knock on every door. search and rescue teams and volunteers will go in along with a sheriff, and get much of that done. as for the sustain big loss of the power lines that run across, that is gonna be significant in the impact. when you lose those power line

the storm is moving up and coming over towards new orleans. i'm in uptown new orleans. you can see now projectiles starting to fly, which is why it's really dangerous. we're just in the beginning of this right now and we're expecting that it's going to last a fairly significant amount of time. people have been inside. you've got to stay inside, stay hunkered down. first responders can't get out in the wind and the rain. if people go outside, it's going to put them in harm's way. the governor and the mayors are working really hard to get out and get everybody safe as soon as it's safe for them to do so. our expectation is if this thing is going to get more difficult as the night goes on as all of the experts have told us. >> let me ask you about the significance of that levee being overtopped in plaquemines parish. we just saw brian todd show us a flooded street in the french quarter. put that in perspective for us, if you can. >> i don't know that particular levee whether it's inside the levee system or outside of the new levee system. in the lower lying parishes outsid

mike tobin is live in new orleans. mike in. >> hey, joey, confirming what adam was just talking about. one thing i notice about this hurricane, at least at this point, is there's a lot of water, a lot more than a what we normally see. now, as far as what has happened over the last hour or so, the barometer has dropped about 3 or 4 millibars, and with that these wind gusts are really increasing with intensity, gradually just increasing, probably a big gust before we get off. there's one right now. as far as damage that we know of thus far, nothing too extensive. we've seen a membrane come off of a roof. i've seen some of these traffic lights, and if we pan around, you can look at some of these traffic lights in the intersection. wow, this is a whopper of a gust coming through. you can see how these traffic lights are getting a workout. the palm trees up and down canal street here, i'd be very surprised if we get through this and don't see some of the palm trees snap off. one of the things my crew and i have been keeping

it does not look like new orleans has flooded. that is amazing news. but there's a lot of catastrophe in the days to come. >> that is good news, ali. since you brought up the power outages, as of the time you and i are talking about this, it looks like there are 831,659 affected customers from this outage in louisiana overall. 831,659 customers affected by this outage, including in downtown new orleans. please stay safe. thank you very much. we'll continue to give you the latest from new orleans where all the power has gone out. and we will update you on the power outages and the weather situation and any more threats the gulf coast may be facing tonight as the news continues here on msnbc. so then i said to him, you oughta customize your car insurance with liberty mutual, so you only pay for what you need. hot dog or... chicken? only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ with voltaren arthritis pain gel my husband's got his moves back. an alternative to pain pills voltaren is the first full prescription strength gel for po

gray and new orleans completely without power. thank you and thanks to bill karins. >>> still ahead on "way too early," what secretary of state antony blinken is saying about the report and afghanistan's kill this. we'll be back with much, much more. my name is douglas. i'm a writer/director and i'm still working. in the kind of work that i do, you are surrounded by people who are all younger than you. i had to get help somewhere along the line to stay competitive. i discovered prevagen. i started taking it and after a period of time, my memory improved. it was a game-changer for me. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. does your deodorant keep you fresh all day? we put dove men deodorant to the test with nelson, a volunteer that puts care into everything he does. it really protects my skin. it's comfortable and lasts a long time. dove men, 48h freshness with triple action moisturizers. finding new routes to reach your customers, and new ways for them to reach you... is what business is all about. it's what the united states po

we're talking 240 miles west of new orleans. here in lafayette they've been testing out their water pump systems. they know ida is putting them to the test. we're on the western portion of the storm. we're expecting about a foot of rain and high risk of flash flooding. janai? >> certainly some wide ranging impacts there. trevor, thank you so much. joining us now is the mayor president of baton rouge, sharon weston broome. mayor president, this is already a category 4 storm. that's looking to be even stronger than initially forecast, and it's still intensifying. what are you hearing this morning about how hard baton rouge will be hit? >> well, of course, we're concerned, janai, about the impact. we're prepared. we are anticipating of course, that these weather events are unpredictable, and our main focus is being prepared for whether it's a hurricane 4, a hurricane 3 or a hurricane 1. >> and with the potential of over 15 inches of rain, wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour there, what are you telling your residents this morning abo

>> sure if you know anybody from new orleans, we don't really leave. we are always -- we can live somewhere else but they would know how i was connected like they would find out my friend and i connected at least and she found that from her parents that were both members of the economy in the 1850s. i will always carry new orleans around with me as you probably have seen. when you began and the sense that you caught a moment where more of this existed in living memories and i'm guessing than does now a lot of these are stating and it's so crucial to get to people and record them and can still remember. >> the four people i was talking about, the 100-year-old woman and her daughter the second step when i started seeing the names and to see whether i could talk to their older families. but it was luck that my dad found the book and it was locked that i was a writer and found something in the book and it was luck that i had spoken to these people. >> how many meetings include the presence -- it's really nice. [laughter] it's nice to find out some of these

all of new orleans parish, including new orleans, now in the dark after catastrophic damage to the transmission system. the power company said some of the customers could be without electricity for weeks. >> there's extensive flooding across the state. the levies have overtopped around the town of john will feoff. here is the lieutenant governor. >> when you see the boats and ves vessels bouncing around out of port fourchon, the wind that has broken those vessels loose and just tossing around like small coins. we haven't seen anything like that since katrina. it's not even possible to call for help. 9-1-1 and the sheriff's office's phones are down now. the generator failed at a hospital here prompting a scramble to relocate icu patients. >> instead of being able to use mechanical ventilators, they had to give oxygen manually. the local sheriff spoke to cnn. >> this building is our operations center but three hours ago, we sustained roof da damage. we have garbage cans catching leaks. we had a pit of a reprieve when the eye came over and we were able to relocate to the building now. we're on the

abc's victor oquendo in new orleans tonight. >> reporter: tonight, with most of new orleans paralyzed without power, officials warning it could be weeks or more. the storm, the strongest to hit the city since hurricane kari karina, 16 years to the day. the winds keep picking up and this rain is just relentless. watch as it just whips down this street in downtown new orleans. orleans parish losing power. lights from emergency vehicles piercing the darkness on new orleans city streets. 1 million in the dark. the utilities rebuilt after katrina did not hold. this massive transmission tower mangled. power lines falling into the mississippi river. ida damaging all eight transmission lines that supply the new orleans area with electricity. here's a look at hurricane ida's aftermath. this power pole crashing right down on top of this also looksn half. downed power lines all along the block. if you look down the street, there's another pole on top of a house. leah had power until 7:00 p.m. and then -- >> it was a big huge flash. and then there was traveling fire balls arcing up and down the l

brian todd, cnn, new orleans>>> joining me now on the phone is a new orleans city councilman. thank you sir for talking with us. >> thank you. >> talk to us about the power. we understand it is completely out across new orleans. those lucky enough to have generators relying on them for power. but how long do you think that it will take to restore electricity across the city once morning comes and in the days and the weeks ahead? >> we just got off of the phone with the energy provider not too long ago. they told us essentially they don't know the answer. there are eight transmission lines that are down. they fell in events throughout the day and apparently earlier in the evening a number of them all went down at the same time. so, it became for a lack of a better term a perfect storm of events. because of the inclement weather, the high winds and the rain, the energy company didn't feel it was in their best interest. trying not to make the situation worse. they are hoping some of the lines can be restored in shorter order, and then advising us that maybe it will be a few days

we have brian todd in new orleans. we have ed lavandera in baton rouge and we have the extreme weather center in atlanta. brian, i want to start with you. the power is out. the waters are rising. how bad has it been where you are? >> michael, it's been pretty bad for the last several hours. the past few hours and the next several hours are very concerning here in new orleans because it has been pitch black. the streets are dark. no power. i can step to the side here and our photo journalist will zoom in to bourbon street here in new orleans in complete darkness. the only reason you see light on those buildings is because jake our photo journalist has been able to throw a light from an independent power source on to those buildings and illuminate part of bourbon street. it is total darkness. the good news here is at least in the french quarter the flooding has not been too bad because it is a higher level of ground than much of the city. you have flash flood emergencies in many areas of new orleans. at least 20 differen

sewage is down in new orleans as well. and because of that, it is making rescue missions even more difficult. but we have seen throughout the day today both in certain parts of louisiana we've seen rescue crews who are trying to get into position to help. there are thousands of people and hundreds of pieces of equipment standing by and, at this point, actually searching and rescuing people in various areas where that flash flooding and the storm surge basically stranded people. i also want to touch on gas prices because that is certainly something that is going to impact everyone, even people who are not here in louisiana. it's going to impact everyone across the country, and that's because several refineries are down. phillips 66, valero and exxon all have refineries that are temporarily down right now that they're trying to restore. they're down for various reasons. plus, oil and gas production was halted in advance of the storm, so they had to stop with the production in the gulf of mexico. so you can expect gas prices

basically right over new orleans or at least in the just just a little bit north of new orleans are little right on new orleans right now just changed, but category three. now here's the thing this guy came on shore as a category four and its state of category for most of the morning typically when hurricanes come onshore, they lose steam they lose power because of the friction of the topography but in louisiana, you've got the wetlands out there you've got sand bars so the hurricane just kept going and it's still going. it's a category three. right now, and it's been going at it for the whole day. pretty much and it's going to stay and hurricane hurricane status probably in the next for the next few hours at least it's moving to the northwest at about 10 miles an hour it's dumping anywhere from six inches to a foot of rain wind gusts are still above 120 miles an hour and a storm surge that comes up on about 10 ft so this is going to be about water more than wind in terms of damage in the morning electrical power was going to be out for that city, probably for the next couple of days. ther

new orleans right now is without power. the mayor says he can stay that way that 72 hours in some areas. so this is just the beginning of what's going to be a very tough go for the city again for rain, expected to continue to call for 12 or more hours in a city that's below sea level. so in essence, a bowl and all the water that gets into that bowl has to be pumped out. they refers to pumping. trina, it seems to be working as it should. the levies are holding as well over topping in a couple of areas, but not major concerns. again, no, we've got a long way to go. yeah. j and it's worth pointing out, isn't it that it's been 16 years maybe 2 days since hurricane katrina devastated new orleans. how will prepared is the 50 this time around i think it was much better not only if something system in the levies, but the preparation beforehand. you got emergency teams on the ground and ready to move in our teams that are ready as soon as things fall down to help with that. and 1st responders, little anxious to get out once the cond

east of new orleans and in new orleans ida has taken a toll with heavy wind and rain cameras captured images of debris flying around the french quarter of the afterr coverage tonight she tells us that a million people are without power in the area, including all of new orleans. hurricane ida was so strong when it made landfall and actually made the mississippi river flow in reverse right now, those winds are still. ripping through. new orleans stepped up the gulf coast rocked sunday by 150 mile per hour winds as hurricane ida came ashore as a category four. louisiana the state that is no stranger to hurricanes now bracing for one of its toughest test yet if you had to draw up. the worst possible path for hurricane in louisiana it would be something very, very close to what we're seeing residents have been warned to shelter in place and stay off the roads as it could be a while before first responders are able to reach those who need help the storm growing in intensity so quickly that new orleans had no time to organize a full evacuation. those who have stuck around now have no choice

the extreme conditions continue less than 20 miles west of new orleans. in this video, we will watch as two huge boats crash into each other. this is? st. rose on the mississippi river. >>> new orleans ems crews counter already suspended operations. the governor just warned that help could not make it out under first flight tomorrow. >> no doubt we're going to see extreme definite administration in grand isle and elsewhere, but we'll likely be sometime after first light tomorrow morning before we can get up and get in the air and get vehicles down there. >>> president biden is visiting fema headquarters last hour and making the last-minute plea for the 14 million people in the path of this dangerous hurricane. >> this is going to be a devastating hurricane, a life-threatening storm, so please, all you folks in the mississippi and louisiana, and god nose, maybe even furse east, take precautions. listen, take it seriously. >>> we have a team of reporters on this, but let's go ahead and go out to in accordance, where ali velshi is braves the elements. we've

it's going between baton rouge and new orleans. a point that hadn't been talked about. 150 chemical and refinery plants between baton rouge and new orleans is commonly called alley. >> right, in that area, if it goes up into that area, there's a high concentration of people, as you said, a high concentration of industrial factories and that sort of thing in that area. the thing i get worried about, general, is new orleans being on the so-called dirty side of the storm that the most harsh conditions of this hurricane could lash new orleans because we're always looking at that top right quadrant when we're looking at a hurricane as it makes landfall. and i'm wondering, you know, getting back to those scenes of devastation during hurricane katrina, the aftermath of hurricane katrina, is the super dome ready to take in evacuees or are these shelters ready to take evacuees, is new orleans ready, do you think? >> the national guard mobilized 2500 troops. most of them will be positioned in and around the designated area by the governor an

the flooding inundated new orleans because the levees did not hold. a lot of improvement has been made in that area. to the levee system, by army corps of engineers and others, a lot of changes, however there is a lot of danger there, hopefully people have been heeding the warnings, and hopefully the storm moves quickly, it ha slowed wore told to about 10 miles per hour, that is not fast. trey: brett, move from weather to war. you covered the pentagon also. two issues, the with withdraw from afghanistan, the substance and manner in which it is communicated by the administration, your assessment of both? >> listen, i think there are a lot of critics in pentagon and on capitol hill about how the evacuation happened. not strong man argument that either we'll leave to knows of troops there --tons of troops there forever it was how it happened. i think it is rightfully so, there is a lot of focus on bagram airbase. administration said it was choice of military advisers, by the time that those was made, there was not the possibility of putting more troops i

we are live in new orleans. robert? reporter: it is like a train all day as the wind and rain come in we had to retreat into this parking garage it's not safe up there at all. i will step back slowly i have an anemometer we have had gust almost 90 miles per hour sustained and the second a step up you will see trying to get back just to see the power right now very close to the mississippi. no joke. everything outside of new orleans right now in many spots is unraveling and falling apart we have seen in the past three or four hours aluminum off of buildings, the streets very serious situation right now if anyone is out there they need to get into shelter. i cannot stress this enough as the storm is just battering new orleans right now. jon: that is not even the worst of the wind that louisiana is seeing right now. incredible. life in new orleans thank you. fox weather is coming in october watch for it. our team coverage continues slamming louisiana and southern mississippi ♪ [band plays] ♪ a place where everyone live

>> i think new orleans should be okay. there is $2 billion in federal levees being constructed in my payish. a lot of those levees are brand-new. no vegetation, and we're concerned that that raw dirt could wash away pretty quickly. and that is a certain. we needed a couple more years before those levees could grow vegetation and really hold up the storm surge. so we're concerned about those levees with raw dirt washing away as well in plaquemines parish. >> lieutenant governor billy nungesser, best of luck to you. thanks for joining us. >> thank you. >> thank you for your time. >>> nearly 300,000 customers without power in louisiana right now. that number is going to go up, no doubt about that. and the storm is nowhere near over. we can see from our crews who are all across the storm area as hurricane ida is coming ashore there. just sending us devastating pictures of the damage and destruction. our special coverage continues. you're live in the cnn newsroom. growing up in a little red house, on the edge of a forest in nor

let's go to new orleans. cnn's nadya romero is there. wishing the very best to you and the crew there as well. we are now five miles -- or seven miles per hour away from a category 5. what are you seeing? >> reporter: yeah, it is happening so quickly, and that's what got a lot of people in trouble here. so we're on bourbon street, right, in new orleans. >> this is where people come from all over the world to finally see this area in the french quarter. you would see this street filled with people, even if it was raining. but we know there is hurricane on the way. take a look. there are preparations that have been happening throughout the weekend. sandbags are in front of many of these businesses. they were boarding up all day yesterday. but you heard allison talk about rapid intensification, and that has been such a challenge here on bourbon street in the french quarter because people plan to be here for the weekend, right? they took time off work. they spent a lot of money. they wanted to come out and have fun. there is always this will

jay gray, nbc news, new orleans. >>> amazing video coming out of new orleans and louisiana in general. that's a very strong storm. >> category 4. it made landfall a few hours ago with winds of 150 miles per hour. now down to 125 mile per hour winds. where new orleans is concerned the heaviest of the rain is actually occurring right now with the outer eye wall moving just into new orleans area. you could see how the outer bands have been moving through the day. those pumping stations keeping things dry from being inundated by all that rainwater coming down into low lying areas. the heaviest rain continues to move right through new orleans. closer to home, we're starting to see better air quality here as the sea breeze turns stronger. this is one of the trends we're watching tomorrow. the morning begins with some unhealthy air quality up in the north bay. tomorrow evening the smoke starts to move to the east. improving conditions in terms of our air quality tomorrow. still technically a smoke advisory. but that is down from the spare the air alert we had today. while the wind is good fo