Hurricane Ida left over a million Louisiana residents without power. Now comes the heat.
More than a million people in Louisiana, including all of New Orleans, were left without power after Hurricane Ida tore through the state this weekend. Now, forecasters are predicting that some parts of the state will see a heat index value — a measurement of how temperature really feels — of up to 106 degrees, triggering two heat advisories.
"The heat advisory for today does pose a big challenge," the National Weather Service said on Twitter. "You may not feel it today, but it will wear on you over the coming days. Recovery is a (marathon) not a sprint."
The advisory is in effect for parts of southwestern Mississippi and southeastern Louisiana, including the cities of New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Liberty. The first advisory expires at 5 p.m. local time on Tuesday; the second runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time on Wednesday.
Meteorologist Kevin Owens of the National Weather Service said Tuesday's temperatures are normal for the area during this time of year, but that the scale for issuing heat advisories has been adjusted to account for the widespread power outages amid Hurricane Ida.
"Typically heat gets well into the middle figures before we start issuing an advisory, whereas today, we lowered that," Owens told CBS News. "Based on whether or not power comes back up soon, we'll put it back to where it is normally."
Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane, killing at least two people. More than a million were left without power, and the state's power provider warned that residents could be in the dark for more than three weeks.
Governor John Bel Edwards said Tuesday that officials are "doing everything" to restore electricity "as soon as possible."
The weather service recommends those under heat advisories to stay hydrated, remain out of the sun, check on relatives and neighbors and be cognizant of the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke.
"Make paper fans," Owens advised. "You absolutely need to put reflective material on the outside of the window to reflect the sun back, things of that nature. Be under the shade as much as possible. Take frequent breaks while working."
