After Ida, small recovery signs amid daunting destruction

By REBECCA SANTANA, MELINDA DESLATTE and JANET MCCONAUGHEY
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Residents of Louisiana communities hit hard by Hurricane Ida are seeing small signs of progress amid the need for a monumental recovery. About 11,000 people in New Orleans saw their lights come back on early Wednesday. But officials say full restoration could still take weeks, and more than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi remain without electricity. Some low-lying areas remain largely under water and waiting for floodwaters to recede enough for trucks to deliver food, water and repair supplies. High heat and humidity threatened to make some places feel like 108 degrees. In New Orleans, some residents gathered at a basketball gym with large fans running to cool off and charge their phones.