New Orleans Officials Are Fighting Looters as the City Reels in Hurricane Aftermath

Shoshy Ciment
·2 min read
2

New Orleans is reeling in the wake of Hurricane Ida, the category 4 storm that ravaged the coastal city on Sunday.

In the wake of the damage, police have ramped up efforts to curb looting in the region. According to multiple outlets, police have received and responded to reports of looting and theft across New Orleans businesses as the city works on relief and repair efforts.

“This will not be tolerated,” Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said in a Monday briefing cited in different outlets regarding looting. “This is a state felony, and we will be booking you accordingly.”

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell also spoke about looting in a news conference, during which she said there has been no widespread activity in the city.

“My directive has been very clear: Lock ’em up,” she said. “We will not tolerate it, and we have not tolerated it.”

On Twitter, local news reporter Beau Zimmer posted images of a New Orleans Dollar General store that was ransacked in the aftermath of the storm. According to the reporter, New Orleans Police have taken one person into custody in relation to the crime.

Another video posted to Twitter showed looters trying to break into an ATM in a destroyed marketplace in New Orleans.

The storm, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, has decimated buildings, blown out power for the entire city, and has already claimed at least one life, with the death toll expected to continue to rise.

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