LA IDA AFTERMATH UPDATE - In his press conference yesterday, Governor John Bel Edwards gave updates about Hurricane Ida recovery but he also took a moment to inform citizens that upcoming fall elections will have a month’s delay as many parishes are still from recovering from Hurricane Ida.
"So the elections that would have been held on October the 9th will be held on November 13th. And the general elections for run offs that would have been held on November 13th will be held on December 11th." Edwards explained.
Three days ago Louisiana’s Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin asked the governor to change fall election dates as Hurricane Ida impacted polling locations, mail delivery, and voter registration operations, to name just a few reasons. Early voting is also rescheduled for both election dates, and for more information and updates Louisiana voters are encouraged to visit the Secretary of State’s website: at sos.la.gov
As of Thursday, there have been 26 storm-related deaths according to state officials. Edwards mentioned 11 of those who died were from Orleans Parish, and 9 deaths out of 11 were from carbon monoxide poisoning from using portable generators due to storm-related power outages. Louisiana Department of Health’s Medical Director Joseph Kanter says people using generators need to remember three basic things for safe generator use.
"Please recognize how dangerous it can be, always outside, always well away from the house, and always in conjunction with functioning carbon monoxide detectors that are inside your house," Kanter said.
Dr. Kanter also said Louisiana that while Covid-19 is still making a significant impact on the state, Louisiana’s vaccination rate has improved as more than 42% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated and 50% have received at least one dose.
