Hurricane Ida: Two people killed and 10 injured after highway collapses in Mississippi amid torrential rain

Seven cars had to be pulled from a chasm by a crane after the highway washed away

Two people are dead and 10 are injured after a highway in George County, Mississippi, was washed away by heavy rainfall from Hurricane Ida.

Seven vehicles were involved in an ensuing wreck as the highway washed away, and a crane was needed to fish them from the resulting chasm. One of the victims of the crash has been identified as Jerry Lee, 42. The second victim’s name has not yet been released.

Three of the injured survivors were found in critical condition and required hospitalisation. One of those victims is a high school senior, Layla Jamison. George County High School, where she attended class, issued a call for prayer for the girl.

At least four people in all have died as a result of the powerful storm, though authorities expect that figure to rise over the next few days as more dead are discovered.

One of the individuals who died drowned in his car while trying to drive through floodwaters, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. Another individual was discovered on Sunday after local deputies responded to a call about an individual who had been injured from a toppled tree.

Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards said he expected the death count to rise “considerably” in coming days.

According to reports from WLOX’s Bill Snyder, there were still pieces of vehicle debris in the chasm as of Tuesday morning after the highway was swept away. His photos showed mangled metal, doors and tires strewn about the pit.

George County emergency management director, John Glass, warned motorists to avoid driving as washout conditions are still present due to now-Tropical Storm Ida’s continued effects.

The Gulf Coast region, particularly in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, is still being beaten by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. The hurricane was downgraded to a tropical storm on Monday evening as it moved across Mississippi.

Ida’s sustained winds on Monday evening were 35 mph (56 kph), still high, but lower than the storm’s landfall winds, which reached as high as 150 mph (241 kph).

The storm caused massive power outages throughout New Orleans as well as its surrounding suburbs. Millions across the region are without power, and it may take more than a month before power is fully restored to the region.

Thanks to investments in infrastructure since Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans, though still severely battered, fared much better than it did in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

As Ida breaks up over the Gulf Coast states, the millions of residents without power now face clean-up efforts and the prospects of an extremely hot stretch of summer without air conditioning or non-battery powered fans.

Hospitals, police and fire stations and assisted living facilities are being prioritised for power restoration by Entergy, the state’s power supplier.