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Aerial photos: Hurricane Ida's devastation

Communities across Louisiana and Mississippi are taking stock of the damage brought by Hurricane Ida, one of the most powerful storms to ever hit the U.S. mainland.

The death toll ticked up to four on Tuesday, including two people killed Monday night when a highway collapsed in Lucedale, Miss. Highway Patrol Cpl. Cal Robertson told the Associated Press that vehicles landed on top of each other as they plunged into a hole created by the rural highway turning into a darkened pit.

In Louisiana, the entire city of New Orleans is without power due to damage inflicted on the area’s electrical grid after Ida made landfall Sunday. It may take weeks to restore power to hundreds of thousands of people there and in nearby areas.

A truck drives through the flooded streets of Indigo Estates after Hurricane Ida moved through Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in LaPlace, La. (Steve Helber/AP Photo)
A truck drives through the flooded streets of Indigo Estates in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Monday in LaPlace, La. (Steve Helber/AP)

Rescue and repair crews continue to navigate flooded streets and buildings reduced to rubble, a product of 150 mph winds and heavy rainfall blanketing the area. Many buildings’ roofs were either destroyed or ripped off entirely. Boats are the preferred vehicles for some neighborhoods previously navigated by cars.

Sweltering conditions brought by the summer heat have added a further layer of complexity to rescue efforts. The AP reported that a heat advisory was issued for the New Orleans region, “with forecasters saying the combination of high temperatures and humidity could make it feel like 105 degrees Fahrenheit (41 degrees Celsius) on Tuesday and 106 on Wednesday.” In the many neighborhoods without electricity, air conditioners are unable to tame the heat. Many of the same areas lack refrigeration due to power outages, and still others lack running water.

Scientists say human-caused climate change is altering the makeup of storms like Hurricane Ida, with rising ocean temperatures leading to higher wind speeds, and rising air temperatures leading to more rainfall. Flash floods caused significant fatalities and devastation in Tennessee, Germany, India and China earlier this year, among other places across the globe.

View photos of Ida’s aftermath below.

A house with no roof is seen after Hurricane Ida hit Houma, Louisiana, the United States, Aug. 30, 2021. With stranded people waiting for rescue on damaged roofs, flooded roads blocked by downed trees and power lines, and over one million people without power through Monday morning, Hurricane Ida has wreaked widespread havoc since its landfall in southern U.S. state of Louisiana on Sunday. (Nick Wagner/Xinhua via Getty Images)
A house with no roof after Hurricane Ida hit Houma, La., is seen on Monday. (Nick Wagner/Xinhua via Getty Images)
In this aerial photo, RVs are flipped over in an RV park after Hurricane Ida on August 31, 2021 in Paradis, Louisiana. Ida made landfall August 29 as a Category 4 storm southwest of New Orleans, causing widespread power outages, flooding and massive damage. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
RVs flipped over in an RV park in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Tuesday in Paradis, La. Ida made landfall Sunday as a Category 4 storm southwest of New Orleans, causing widespread power outages, flooding and massive damage. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Homes and streets are overwhelmed by water on August 30, 2021 in Lafitte, Louisiana. (Michael Robinson Chavez/the Washington Post via Getty Images)
Homes and streets overwhelmed by water on Monday in Lafitte, La. (Michael Robinson Chavez/the Washington Post via Getty Images)
An aerial photo made with a drone shows damage caused by Hurricane Ida in La Place, Louisiana, USA, Tuesday. The Category 4 storm came ashore on 29 August causing heavy flooding, downing trees, and ripping off roofs. (Tannen Maury/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Damage caused by Hurricane Ida is seen in LaPlace, La., on Tuesday. (Tannen Maury/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
An aerial photo made with a drone shows damage caused by Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, Louisiana, USA, 31 August 2021. The Category 4 storm came ashore on 29 August causing heavy flooding, downing trees, and ripping off roofs. (Tannen Maury/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
A building damaged by Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, La., on Tuesday. (Tannen Maury/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
Boats are seen lying on the earth in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Lafitte, La.  The weather died down shortly before dawn. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)
Boats lying on land in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Monday in Lafitte, La. The weather died down shortly before dawn. (David J. Phillip/AP)
Roof damage is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Houma, La.  (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)
Significant roof damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Monday in Houma, La. (David J. Phillip/AP)
A flooded city is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Lafitte, La. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)
A flooded Lafitte, La., in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Monday. (David J. Phillip/AP)
Damge is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Houma, La. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)
Structures flattened by Hurricane Ida in Houma, La., on Monday. (David J. Phillip/AP)
Damge is seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Houma, La. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)
Barns and buildings damaged by Hurricane Ida in Houma, La., on Monday. (David J. Phillip/AP)
The roof of an apartment building is seen torn off by Hurricane Ida in Houma, Louisiana, the United States, Aug 30, 2021. With stranded people waiting for rescue on damaged roofs, flooded roads blocked by downed trees and power lines, and over one million people without power through Monday morning, Hurricane Ida has wreaked widespread havoc since its landfall in southern U.S. state of Louisiana on Sunday. (Chine Nouvelle/SIPA/Shutterstock)
An apartment building with the roof torn off by Hurricane Ida in Houma, La., on Monday. (Chine Nouvelle/SIPA/Shutterstock)
An Airboat glides over a city street in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in Lafitte, La. (David J. Phillip/AP Photo)
An airboat glides over a city street in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida on Monday in Lafitte, La. (David J. Phillip/AP)

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