Alexandria, La. (Aug. 29, 2021) — City workers are on standby as officials continue to monitor Hurricane Ida which has shifted toward the east pushing the strongest impacts away from Alexandria.
“It’s too early to let our guard down, but it appears Alexandria will be spared severe impacts,” said Alexandria Mayor Jeff Hall. “The storm is expected to pass to our east overnight, so that is when we expect to see the strongest winds and have the greatest threat of power outages. We also expect we will see some rain, but we don’t expect significant rainfall based on the most recent forecast.”
Hurricane Ida made landfall as a strong Category 4 storm with winds of 150 mph Sunday morning in south Louisiana near Grand Isle. In anticipation of tropical storm force winds or even hurricane force winds, city officials arranged to bring in tree trimmers and line construction crews to aid in cleanup efforts and power restoration. “Those crews will remain on standby until the storm passes and we know that the needs of our residents are met,” Hall said. “Our hope is that we will be able to release the crews we have to be able to assist other communities that are more severely impacted.”
Alexandria residents may report power outages online through the AlexConnects app. To report downed wires, poles, and other similar issues residents should call the Electric Distribution Department at (318) 473-1301.
City Hall, the Utility Customer Service Office and all business departments will be open Monday, and all city employees are expected to report to work Monday as regularly scheduled. The start of ATRANS bus service and household garbage collection may be delayed pending the safety of the roadways. Residents should look for an announcement Monday morning regarding city services.
