Saturday, September 4: This report includes an assessment of the potential impacts to healthcare and public health due to Hurricane Ida.
Note: There will be no situational report tomorrow, September 5. The next sit-rep will be on Monday September 6.
High-Level Situation Summary
As of Friday, September 3, Ida has left the US and has moved offshore.
The remnant moisture and energy from Ida merged with a front over the mid-Atlantic and Northeast to produce disastrous flooding on September 1 and early September 2.
As of Friday, September 3, power outages resulting from Tropical Depression Ida have stabilized in the Mid-Atlantic states. Louisiana continues to sustain the most power outages with over 680,000 customers still without power.
Expected Impacts
Power outages: Customers across the states of Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi are without power, as of September 4. More than 27,000 workers from at least 41 states and D.C. are working to restore power to those impacted by Ida.
As of the evening of September 4, over 680,000 people remain without power in Louisiana. It is the number one state with the most outages.
New Jersey
Over 1,000 people are without power after the storm passed through.
New York
More than 1,000 people are without power due to remnants of the storm passing through the state.
Mississippi
More than 4,000 people are without power. It is the fourth state with the highest number of power outages.
Pennsylvania
Over 6,000 people are without power as a result of remnants of Ida passing through. It is the third-highest state with power outages.
Transportation: Lines are experiencing little problems in the Northeast due to the storm’s impact. In Louisiana, crews continue to clean up across the state.
Louisiana:
As of Saturday, September 4 the Louisiana Department of Transportation had the following updates:
Louis Armstrong International Airport continues to have some flights cancelled for September 4 and 5. There are limited flights scheduled for the 4th and 5th.
Uber is offering free rides to resources in New Orleans with the code “IDARELIEF2021.”
Lyft is offering free rides to resources in New Orleans with the code “IDARELIEF21.”
The City of New Orleans is providing transportation to shelters with various pick-up points across the city.
They are also providing assistance for residents who to leave for a shelter in the northern part of the state or a neighboring state.
New Jersey
New Jersey Transit announced all train lines except for the Raritan Valley line are running normal weekend schedules. However, they do advise passengers to allow for extra time due to impacts from the storm.
New York
Amtrak service between Albany and New York City has been suspended due to the impact from Hurricane Ida.
COVID-19: Due to ambiguous mask mandates and lower vaccination rates in the Gulf coast surrounding states, the increasing surge of COVID-19 infections will likely impact sheltering and hospital capacity. Hospitals have been challenged by the logistics of how staff/patients can remain socially distanced while remaining at the hospital for extended periods of time and Covid-19 transmission at shelters housing residents that have evacuated their homes is still a concern. We are tracking this closely and will continue to report on any analysis we have.
Resource Staging: Visit FEMA’s Hurricane Ida webpage for information and resources available for residents in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and other areas that may be affected by Ida. The page is available in French, Haitian Creole, Simplified Chinese, Spanish and Vietnamese.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviving its Operation Blue Roof program to get as many houses into livable condition as possible during Hurricane Ida recovery.
Residents can sign up for the program at blueroof.us or call 1-888-ROOF-BLU (1-888-766-3258) for information about the program.
To help disaster survivors register for Federal assistance, Mobile Emergency Response Support assets including Emergency Operations Vehicles were deployed to support Louisiana and Mississippi.
Under the Major Disaster Declaration, individuals in affected areas can apply for disaster assistance and get referrals to local, state, and federal agencies and voluntary organizations by applying for disaster assistance through DisasterAssistance.gov. or by calling 1-800-621-3362 (TTY 1-800-462-7585).
Louisiana survivors located in one of the designated parishes approved for individual assistance and do not have insurance, you can apply for disaster assistance and get referrals to local, state, and federal agencies and voluntary organizations. The fastest way to apply is through DisasterAssistance.gov.
National Flood Insurance Policyholders that have flood damage from Hurricane Ida and its remnants, can learn more about starting their recovery. Individuals can contact their flood insurance company to start a claim now, call 877-336-2627 to speak with an adjuster.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is evaluating impacts to agriculture and communities. The Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program in Louisiana received a temporary waiver to allow participants to buy hot foods with their benefits and assisting with program flexibilities needed for mass feeding operations.
The Federal Communications Commission is coordinating with government partners to support restoration efforts and lending technical assistance in the field. In addition, the commission is working with carriers so that those in affected areas can roam on any network that may be available during restoration efforts.
The U.S. Department of Treasury Internal Revenue Service announced that Louisiana disaster survivors will have additional time to file various individual and business tax returns and to make payments. Survivors who had a valid extension to file their 2020 tax returns will now have until January 3, 2022.
Starting next week, Montgomery County, PA will operate a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) at 2 W. Lafayette St, Norristown. It will be open on September 8 from noon to 7 pm and September 9 from 9 am to 5 pm.
Emergency Declarations
On Friday, September 4, US Department of Health and Human Services determined that a public health emergency exists and has existed since September 1, 2021, in the States of New York and New Jersey.
On Monday, August 30, US Department of Health and Human Services determined that a public health emergency exists and has existed since August 26, 2021, in the State of Louisiana, and since August 28, 2021, in the State of Mississippi. The following waivers have been provided:
Waivers already available for health care providers to use during the COVID-19 PHE and for the Hurricane Ida PHE can be found here.
Additionally, on August 31, the US Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) made an extension and amendment to the Emergency Declaration that provides truck drivers flexibility to move critical freight to areas damaged by Ida - making it easier to supply essential items such as food, water, fuel, and power restoration equipment to help support emergency relief efforts.
Connecticut
State: On September 2, Governor Ned Lamont declared state of emergency in Connecticut due to flooding.
State: Governor Ralph Northam declared a State of Emergency for the Commonwealth of Virginia which will allow for the quicker mobilization of resources to respond to impacts.
State: A State of Emergency has been in effect for all parishes since Thursday 8/26.
Federal: A Federal disaster declaration was approved for all parishes on Thursday 8/26. This declaration authorized FEMA to identify, mobilize, and provide equipment and resources needed to respond to the emergency.
Food waivers:
Louisiana participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can use their benefits to purchase “hot” or prepared foods through September 28, 2021, following a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). This helps as many displaced individuals do not have access to a kitchen to prepare meals.
Housing waivers:
The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced disaster assistance for Louisiana disaster survivors on September 1. This allows HUD to aid by providing immediate foreclosure relief, making mortgage insurance available, and making insurance available for both mortgage and home rehabilitation.
Transportation waivers:
Weight Waiver in place for commercial motor carriers travelling on public highways in Louisiana for the purpose of emergency preparedness and disaster relief. For these carriers, the total gross weight of any vehicle or combination of vehicles shall not exceed 88 thousand pounds.
Toll Waiver in place for tolls under the operation of the state of Louisiana, specifically LA 1 Toll Bridge from Leeville, Louisiana to Grand Isle and Port Fourchon.
Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and Louisiana Business Emergency Operations Center are at LEVEL I full activation.
More information on Louisiana's emergency activation levels can be found here.
Spanish-speakers can call or text the hotline and press “2” for bilingual support. Callers can also connect with counselors in over 100 other languages via 3rd-party interpretation services by indicating their preferred language to the responding counselor, who will connect to a live interpreter.
Deaf or Hard of Hearing American Sign Language users can contact the DDH through a direct videophone option via any videophone-enabled device and dialing 1-800-985-5990, or by selecting the “ASL Now” option on the DDH website at samhsa.gov.
People in St. Charles Parish have been advised to call 911 for emergencies.
In Philadelphia, PA all non-emergency downed tree requests should be submitted through Philly 311, which can also be reached by phone at 311 or 215-686-8686.
As of Thursday, September 2, Ochsner is beginning to reopen monoclonal antibody infusion sites in Baton Rouge and on the Northshore.
As of Thursday, September 2, Thibodaux Regional hospital has continued to accept patients in the past few days
As of September 3, 40 hospitals are being run on generator power, and the number of hospitals that are fully evacuated have risen to 17. The National Guard is expected to support transporting fuel to maintain generators.
HHS has deployed a 250-bed federal medical shelter at the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans to enable patient care at the location.
Three Disaster Medical Assistance Teams are preparing to support hospitals in case it is needed.
Four of five hospitals in Louisiana's Bayou region are severely damaged.
Thibodaux Regional Medical Center is the only major hospital in the region that is currently operating, but the region remains short of hospital beds. Federal support for decompression of the Thibodaux Regional ER is planned.
The other four hospitals in the area remain closed, but National Guard support and triage center establishment are expected to be deployed to provide care at some sites.
HHS and State officials are coordinating potential needs for the region, including medical staff or patient evacuation coordination.
Community health centers in the New Orleans area are reported to be largely closed due to power, water, and staffing issues.
Hospitals anticipate facing dual challenge of shouldering storm-related health emergencies and COVID-19 care.
Mississippi
There are no significant changes to this section since 9/2 (9/2 Situation Report)
Hospitals in Mississippi are back on commercial power.
One hospital in Pike County, Mississippi lost power for several hours, but generators kept the storm from affecting patients.
Intensive care units across Mississippi remain at or near capacity as hospitals manage staff shortages and high numbers of COVID-19 patients
As of September 1, no other significant impacts have been reported by Mississippi facilities.
Dialysis Centers
As of September 3, thirty-three dialysis facilities remain closed in the New Orleans area.
Patients who need paratransit to get to a cooling site, dialysis center, food distribution site, or oxygen exchange you can call 311 to be connected to RTA paratransit.
Staffing continues to be a barrier to reopening facilities as many staff evacuated the area in advance of the storm, but the situation is changing as people are returning.
Many facilities continue to operate on generator power, and it is reported that most have adequate fuel and supplies. As water systems are coming up, fewer facilities are relying on water tankers.
Fuel tankers have been topping generators.
Teams are working with hospital partners to move non-emergency patients out of the area.
Teams are working in shelters to identify patients requiring dialysis and providing care.
Large dialysis organizations are working to ensure all patients are accounted for and are making substantial improvements in identifying patients as communications are starting to come back online. Utilizing contacts with other dialysis providers is helping this effort as well.
It has been reported that facilities using city water are experiencing issues as city water has not been dependable, so they are also using tankers to supply water.
Any person who needs dialysis or has questions about where to receive care before, during, or after the storm is asked to call 1-800-626-1297. The line is available 24 hours a day and will be up for at least a week.
There are also 1-800 numbers on the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) website to help get patients placed in facilities.
COVID-19 Status
Louisiana
Louisiana Department of Health reports 2,625 COVID-19 cases reported to the state since September 2, 2021. The vast majority, 98.4%, of these cases are tied to COVID spreading in communities, rather than congregate settings like nursing homes.
Louisianans ages 5-17 represent the largest percentage of cases (23%). Regions with the largest percentages are 4 (Acadiana, 18%), 7 (Northwest, 17%), and 8 (Northeast, 17%).
COVID-19 reporting is lagging due to impacts of Hurricane Ida.
Mississippi
Mississippi Department of Health reports 3,352 COVID-19 cases and 153 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities reported to the state since September 2, 2021.
Residents between the ages of 25 and 39 represent the largest portion of the infected population in the state, with 101,223 cases reported Friday, September 3.
Among patients under 18, children between the ages of 11 and 17 have the highest infection rate, with 40,612 cases identified.
Pennsylvania is reported that there are 1,928 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state, 493 patients in ICU, 239 COVID-19 patients on ventilators, and 3,656 staffed ICU beds.
New Jersey is reported that there are 1,054 people hospitalized with COVID-19 across the state, 218 patients in ICU, and 109 COVID-19 patients on ventilators.
Pharmacy Operations
Rx Open is activated for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The map was last updated at 2 pm ET, September 4. As of this update:
0% of participating pharmacies in Alabama were reporting Closed or Unknown.
18.9% of participating pharmacies in Louisiana were reporting Closed or Unknown.
5.7% of participating pharmacies in Mississippi were reporting Closed or Unknown.
3.7% of participating pharmacies in New Jersey were reporting Closed or Unknown.
6.8% of participating pharmacies in New York were reporting Closed or Unknown.
3.9% of participating pharmacies in Pennsylvania were reporting Closed or Unknown.
Although there is a noticeable uptick in the number of pharmacies reporting Closed or Unknown in these states compared to yesterday, we believe this is due to limited pharmacy hours and regular weekend closures, and is not representative of issues such as power limitations or staffing issues.
Additional pharmacy closures are expected to be reflected in the next update of the map. The map will be updated the afternoon of Saturday, September 4.
To get an emergency refill, individuals should take their prescription bottle to any TRICARE retail network pharmacy. To find a network pharmacy, either call Express Scripts at 1-877-363-1303 or search the network pharmacy locator.
Under the same Rule, a pharmacist licensed in another state may dispense prescription medications in Louisiana if they adhere to certain conditions in the Rule.
Evacuations and Curfews
Louisiana:
The Department of Health and Human Services is establishing a patient evacuation site at Louis Armstrong International Airport, to be staffed with a Disaster Medical Assistance Team and Joint Patient Movement Team.
Throughout Southern Louisiana, curfews have been implemented due to the threat of damage from Hurricane Ida. A list of regional curfews can be found here.
New Orleans is evacuating some senior apartments as generators supplying power have run out of fuel, leaving residents without power.
Sheltering
Louisiana
To find updated information on statewide shelters, individuals can text “lashelter” to 898-211. They can also call 211 to speak with representatives who will determine whether the individual needs to be diverted to a medical shelter.
New Orleans residents should text DELTA to 888777 or text NOLAREADY to 77295.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development is offering assistance through providing immediate foreclosure relief, making mortgage insurance available, making insurance available for mortgages and home rehabilitation, sharing information on available providers, and offering additional flexibilities to communities in impacted parishes.
The Hospitality Hub website, lafayettetravel.com/hospitality-hub, has launched to connect those displaced by Hurricane Ida with hotels, disaster relief in Lafayette, LA.
The Civic Center is currently sheltering roughly 700 evacuees from Terrebonne Parish, Lafourche Parish, and St. John the Baptist Parish.
On September 2, FEMA approved the Governor’s request to activate the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program. that will provide much-needed temporary housing for thousands of Louisianans who have been displaced by Hurricane Ida.
Those impacted by Ida are eligible to stay in hotels in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
Participating hotels can be found at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling the FEMA helpline at 8000-621-3363.
The Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is launching “Connect,” a way for families to locate loved ones who evacuated from Hurricane Ida to a state shelter.
The number to call to access the “Connect” program is 225-342-2727. Alternatively, families can fill out a form online to reach out to loved ones who may be in state congregate shelters. That form is found here.
Pennsylvania
Water from the Schuylkill River flowed onto the Vine Street Expressway. Residents in Manayunk had been asked to shelter in place, and debris could be seen floating down the streets, reports indicate.
Individuals in Philadelphia, PA with property that is uninhabitable, contact the Red Cross at 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or head to one of the city and Red Cross-operated reception centers, which are now open for those who were affected by Ida.
Currently, Norristown Area High School (1900 Eagle Dr.) is open for those who need shelter or assistance.
A reception center formerly located at West Philadelphia High School has closed.
Mississippi
Shelter openings by county are available from the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
Other Organizations
Individuals can also search for open American Red Cross shelters here.
They can call 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or download the free Red Cross Emergency app for shelter locations.
The non-profit Airbnb.org is offering to support responders and displaced households in need of a temporary place to stay.
For more information about placement for individuals in need, please reach out to alerts@healthcareready.org and we will connect you directly with Airbnb.
Point of Distribution Sites and Cooling Centers
Please click here to find a full list of cooling centers, supply distribution sites, and meal distribution sites in the New Orleans area from September 2 through September 10.
The LAPSCA is working with the city of New Orleans to provide cooling centers with air-conditioned buses for pets.
As of September 2, a list of multiple locations offering free meals, supplies, water, and ice can be found here broken down by parishes.
Point of Distribution (POD) sites and cooling centers are also being stood up across the affected areas. An updated list of POD set up by the National Guard as of September 4 can be found here.
St. Charles Parish has established a POD site that will be open from 8 am to 5 pm or until supplies run out. The items being distributed there are ice, water, and MREs.
West Bank Bridge Park
Plaquemines Parish has established a meal distribution site along with the Salvation Army. It is open from 2 pm to 6 pm and more sites will open over the next couple of days.
Belle Chasse Middle School
St. James Parish has established two POD sites that will be open daily from 8 am to 5 pm. As of now, the only items being distributed there are MRE's and water.
West Bank Location: St. James High School in Vacherie
East Bank Location: Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church in Gramercy
Additionally, St. James’s parish transit busses will be delivering water and MRE's to hard-hit areas where debris has prevented residents from traveling to the POD site.
Tangipahoa Parish has established four new POD sites as of September 4 that will be open every day from 8 am - 6 pm. The supplies that are being distributed are water, ice, MREs, and tarps. The Parish has established a meal distribution site and worked with the Mission Church to distribute bottled water.
The 6 Walmart POD site locations can be found here.
Mission Church bottled water distribution until supplies last:
41347 I-55 Frontage Rd, Hammond, LA 70403
Jefferson Parish has established two POD sites that are distributing water, ice, MREs, and tarps. The Parish has also stood up a water distribution center.
Lafourche Parish has established four POD sites that will be open from 8 am to 6 pm and will supply various supplies such as water, MRE’s, and tarps.
Thibodaux Family Church 785 North Canal Blvd. Thibodaux, LA
Raceland Ag Center 100 Texas Street, Raceland LA
Lockport Central Station 806 Crescent Ave, Lockport, LA
Out Lad of Promt Succor Church 723 North Bayou Drive, Golden Meadow, LA
St. Bernard Parish has established a cooling and charging center for residents.
Val Riess Recreation Complex
Terrebonne Parish has established POD sites that will be open daily from 8 am to 5 pm and will supply various supplies such as water, MRE’s, and ice.
The POD sites:
Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Blvd., Houma
Teche Action Clinic, 189 Mozart Drive, Houma
Ward 7 Community Center, 5006 La. 56, Chauvin
Montegut Recreation Center, 107 Recreation Drive, Montegut
Dulac Fire Station, 6974 Grand Caillou Road
Bayou Blue Fire Department, 1870 Bayou Blue Road
Free food available:
Living World Church, 1916 La. 311 in Schriever, providing drive-through food daily from 11 am to 1 pm and from 4 pm till 6 pm
Hancock Whitney Bank will distribute free meals at 11 am September 3-5 at its downtown Houma location
Free food, ice, gas, and water will be distributed starting at 11 am Friday, September 3, at St. Bernadette Catholic Church's Herbert Hall, 409 Funderburk Ave. in Houma
Hot meals will again be offered at noon Saturday, September 4 at Herbert Hall
Supplies distribution:
The Morrison Terrebonne lumberyard in Houma at 605 Barataria Ave. is receiving a shipment of emergency supplies including Generac 6500-watt generators, gas cans, air conditioners, extension cords and chain saws.
First United Methodist Church in Houma at 6109 La. 311 for water, food, diapers and more. Supplies can be picked up at the Activity Building (off of Boston Lane, behind the church building). Open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until supplies run out.
The Federal Communications Commission has deactivated its Disaster Information Reporting for Alabama and Mississippi as of September 3.
The US Chamber activated the National Disaster Help Desk to assist small businesses, chambers, and their communities. Their number is 888-MY-BIZ-HELP or 888-692-4943. They are available 24/7 to support with steps for recovery and navigating federal programs, as well as directing them to local resources.
For assistance with downed communications cables please notify the NCC at 703-235-5080.
Louisiana
New Orleans has created an alternative number to 911 (504-671-3600) for those unable to connect to 911.
911 and 311 services are fully operational.
Residents should call 911 for emergencies and 311 (504-658-2299) for non-emergencies
Residents with medical needs can sign up for the Special Needs Registry at specialneeds.nola.gov or call 3-1-1 to sign up.
Companies reported over 420,000 subscribers out of service.
Plaquemines Parish was reported as down, but has since been restored to operational status after repair of the generator.
Terrebonne Parish is rerouting 911 calls to admin lines without location information.
St. Johns Parish Sheriff’s Office has been partially re-routed to another PSAP with location information. Some 911 calls are going to St. John Parish Sheriff’s Office and some are going to another PSAP.
The parish President of St. John the Baptist described that “many people don’t know of the places we have available for pod sites, with ice and water and MREs and other food distribution, because they don’t have any communications and/or they don’t have any electricity to charge up the communications they do have.”
No significant changes since August 31 (8/31 sit-rep)
Louisiana
Louisiana has a statewide credentialing and access program to facilitate post-disaster re-entry. The system permits individuals and organizations to register for re-entry credentials. Access and re-entry decisions are communicated by the Louisiana State Police and the Emergency Responder ID Trust Network (ER-ITN).
Residents of Grand Isle are being allowed to return on September 3 & 4 to survey damages to their properties, make temporary repairs, and pick up personal belongings. All residents must leave by 7 p.m. or stay on the island until the next morning.
Mississippi
Mississippi also utilizes the ER-ITN statewide credentialing and access program to facilitate post-disaster re-entry. The system permits individuals and organizations to register for re-entry credentials. Access and re-entry decisions are communicated by the Mississippi State Police and ER-ITN.
Alabama
Alabama does not have a statewide credentialing and access program to facilitate post-disaster re-entry. County-level Emergency Management Agencies are authorized to manage access and re-entry decisions.
As of September 1, at 3 PM, U.S. Coast Guard’s Captain of the Port (COPT) New Orleans has set the port status to NORMAL, whereby vessel movement and cargo operations are authorized with some exceptions
As of September 2, the Port of Southern Louisiana is still operating on restricted Operations as per the COTP. The crew is in the process of assessing the damage to each of our facilities.
As of September 1, at 3 PM, Captain of the Port (COTP) New Orleans has set port condition NORMAL. The team continues coordinating with navigation partners as well as local and state officials to resume operation safely and as quickly as possible.
First Aid station is open for residents in New Orleans. It will be open 24/7 at Central City Senior Center, 2101 Phillip St.
Services: Oxygen exchange, medical device charging, basic health assessments, minimal prescribing ability, no medicines available onsite.
Oxygen-dependent residents in New Orleans can get a free full tank at four different oxygen exchange locations. The following locations are open from 8 am to 6 pm daily:
2500 General de Gaulle Dro
5403 Read Blvd
2920 Magazine St
Boil Water Advisory
Louisiana
As of Saturday, September 4, there were 136 non-operating public water systems, down from 291. As public water systems increasingly come online, a corresponding increase in the number of boil water advisories should be expected.
To bring fuel back online as quickly as possible, fuel loading racks should be prioritized for reopening support, which may include help with clearing debris, making emergency repairs, or providing generators.
This will allow for the production, sale, and distribution of winter gasoline before the addition of ethanol.
Louisiana
The State of Louisiana is managing the response and coordination for fuel needs. As of Saturday, September 4, there are no outstanding fuel supply concerns reported.
Grocery distribution in Southeast Louisiana has been reopened, but capacity may be constrained by staff shortages from fuel and road impediments.
Other Actions
If you become aware of situation(s) that may adversely affect healthcare supply or care in the affected area, or if you would like to request the assistance of Healthcare Ready, please contact us at Alerts@HealthcareReady.org or call 1.866.247.2694.
We are standing by, ready to assist those in the impacted areas. For those of you in the affected areas, our thoughts are with you.
Rx on the Run, a downloadable medication card for citizens to keep track of their medications.
Message sent to Healthcare Ready national partners and those registered for alerts in: LA, MS, AL
Healthcare Ready leverages unique relationships with government, nonprofit and medical supply chains to build and enhance the resiliency of communities before, during and after disasters.
