TERREBONNE PARISH, La. — Terrebonne Parish officials say damage assessments after Hurricane Ida are going much slower than expected, complicated by lack of utilities, safe shelter, and communications in the parish.
Parish President Gordon Dove's office said Friday that about 60 percent of homes in Terrebonne's bayou communities are unsafe to live in. First responders are dealing with the need to shelter residents whose homes were damaged in shelters that are also damaged.
Lack of water pressure, electricity, blown-out windows, and roof damage have forced hospitals in the parish to close. Patients at these hospitals, including some in ICUs, were evacuated to other hospitals in Shreveport, Lafayette, Mississippi, and Texas.
"With the forced closure of these hospitals and others in the region, there is no way to treat trauma victims or even the elderly with medical issues that require hospitalizations," Dove's office said. "The lack of medical facilities in the parish and region greatly complicates the return of evacuees to Terrebonne."
Dove's office adds that a police officer who was critically wounded in a traffic accident had to be taken to a hospital two hours away for treatment.
"Without electricity to power traffic signals, travel through these intersections is very dangerous," Dove's office said. "With no street lights and the abundance of hanging power lines - some stretched low across roadways - travel at night is dangerous."
Leaders say there is no way to accurately predict when utilities will be restored in the parish. Some fires in the parish have been allowed to burn out because of a lack of water pressure.
"Consequently, recovery, repair, and restoration efforts in Terrebonne will take a great deal of time," Dove's office said.
A curfew remains in effect throughout Terrebonne Parish until further notice.
"Terrebonne Parish is dealing with an unprecedented situation brought on by a strong Category 4 hurricane," Dove said. "Recovery will be slow until critical utilities are restored, and we do not know when these will be available."
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