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

WASHINGTON, Sept 1 — 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.

“The citywide curfew from 8.00 pm to 6.00 am (CDT) will be effective immediately,” Cantrell said on Tuesday, reported Sputnik.

New Orleans Police Chief Shaun Ferguson warned residents who evacuated not to return to their homes because the city was still without power and had very limited capacity.

Ferguson said the city’s streets were still blocked with debris and driving at night is unsafe because the traffic lights were 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 along the coast across the Gulf of Mexico.

NMT