New Orleans imposes curfew in wake of Hurricane Ida to stop looting, ensure safety

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said she has imposed a citywide curfew that is effective immediately in order to keep residents safe and to prevent looting amid a power outage that occurred as a result of Hurricane Ida.

"I moved forward with my signature on an executive order that effectively immediately, meaning today, at 8:00 p.m. [CDT] the city will be enforcing a citywide curfew for all residents in the city," Cantrell said on Tuesday. "8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. [CDT] effective immediately."

New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson warned residents who evacuated not to return to their homes because the city is still without power and has very limited capacity. Ferguson said city streets are still blocked with debris and driving at night is unsafe because traffic lights are not working.

Ferguson added that there have been several arrests for looting and the authorities will continue to make arrests if such crimes continue.

Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 storm before weakening to a Category 1 as it moved across the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

(ANI)

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