WWNO skyline header graphic
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Local Newscast
Hear the latest from the WWNO/WRKF Newsroom.

Support local, independent journalism on WWNO with your Member Fest gift now! Click the donate button or Call 844-790-1094.

9 Dead From Excessive Heat In New Orleans In Wake Of Hurricane Ida

The City of New Orleans turned several RTA buses into cooling stations as residents faced power outages and heat advisories in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
Aubri Juhasz
The City of New Orleans turned several RTA buses into cooling stations as residents faced power outages and heat advisories in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

Nine people died from excessive heat in New Orleans in the days following Hurricane Ida, which knocked out power across the city for multiple days, according to Louisiana’s Department of Health.

The 9 deaths due to “excessive heat” were reported to LDH by the Orleans Parish coroner’s office between Aug. 30 and Sept. 6. The coroner's office also confirmed two new deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning.

After the Category 4 storm made landfall in southeast Louisiana on Aug. 29, issues such as significant damage, mass power outages and heat advisories were major safety concerns.

Louisiana officials predicted that the state’s death toll would grow as Ida’s damage assessment marched on.

“I think we're unfortunately going to see more deaths come up as they get investigated and reported,” said Joe Kanter, LDH’s state health officer.

The death toll in Louisiana from the storm now stands at 26, with those fatalities coming out of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Ascension, Terrebonne and St. John parishes.

The table below lists all deaths related to Hurricane Ida. New information is shown in red.

Louisiana Department of Health

Support for the Coastal Desk comes from the Walton Family Foundation, the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and local listeners.

Shalina Chatlani is the health care reporter for the Gulf States Newsroom, a collaboration between NPR, WWNO in New Orleans, WBHM in Birmingham, Alabama and MPB-Mississippi Public Broadcasting in Jackson.
Patrick Madden joined WWNO in 2019 as its first-ever Regional News Director, overseeing news reporting at WWNO, as well as our partner station WRKF Baton Rouge. Madden also serves as one of the hosts of Louisiana Considered, and co-hosts Friday's Politics Roundtable on Louisiana Considered with Stephanie Grace, columnist for The Times-Picayune | The Advocate.

👋 Looks like you could use more news. Sign up for our newsletters.

* indicates required
New Orleans Public Radio News
New Orleans Public Radio Info