Virtual Assessment Report: Hurricane Ida, Louisiana, USA, August 29, 2021

On August 29, 2021, a Category 4 hurricane, Ida, made landfall near Port Fourchon, in southeastern Louisiana. Hurricane Ida caused extensive damage to homes, buildings, and infrastructure in several states in the United States, with the state of Louisiana being the most severely impacted. The estimated cost of damages caused by the hurricane is approximately $95 billion. HAZUS-MH tool was utilized in this project to estimate the composition and quantity of the debris in the impacted parishes in Louisiana, i.e., Ascension, Assumption, Concordia, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, Pointe Coupee, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Helena, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Tensas, Terrebonne, Washington, and West Baton Rouge parishes. The HAZUS-MH analysis resulted in a total of 1,475,909 tons of brick and wood debris, 60,679 tons of concrete and steel debris, and 5,013,280 tons of vegetative debris. With regards to debris management logistics and resources, the state of Louisiana has 213 approved emergency debris sites, each of which is pre-approved for certain activities related to the management of specific debris types. Thirty material recovery facilities were identified in some of the parishes impacted by Hurricane Ida; none of these facilities, however, was identified as accepting construction and demolition debris. Given that SUMMEER previously examined Hurricane Laura, another Category 4 hurricane that hit Louisiana one year before Hurricane Ida, investigating debris management in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida presents an opportunity to explore the distinct impacts resulting from the unique characteristics of each of the two hurricanes on the sustainable management of disaster debris. This investigation also allows for a comprehensive assessment of the applicability of the findings from SUMMEER’s previous investigation of Hurricane Laura in the context of Hurricane Ida. This project encompasses the products of SUMMEER's virtual response to this disaster event: Virtual Assessment Report (VAR).