It’s Monday, August 30th – and NBC 6 has the top stories for the day.
No. 1 - Hurricane Ida knocked out power to all of New Orleans and inundated coastal Louisiana communities on a deadly path through the Gulf Coast that was still unfolding and promised more destruction.
Forecasters warned of damaging winds and heavy rainfall that could cause flash floods and life-threatening storm surge as Ida continued its rampage Monday through southeastern Louisiana and then moved into Mississippi. The hurricane was blamed for at least one death. The Ascension Parish Sheriff's Office said on Facebook that deputies responded to a home in Prairieville on a report of someone injured by a fallen tree. The person, who was not identified, was pronounced dead. Prairieville is a suburb of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s capital city. Ida — a Category 4 storm when it made landfall — hit on the same date Hurricane Katrina ravaged Louisiana and Mississippi 16 years earlier.
No. 2 - Miami-Dade Fire Rescue’s FL-TF1 Urban Search and Rescue Team was deployed while Florida Power & Light Company also deployed employees and contractors Sunday to support power restoration as Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana.
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A team of more than 750 employees and contractors will assist Entergy Louisiana and Cleco with their restoration after Hurricane Ida has passed. “Just as our neighboring utilities have come to Florida to support us, we will be there for our brothers and sisters in need, getting their communities back up and running safely. Hurricane Ida is a very dangerous storm. Our thoughts and prayers are with those in the storm’s path,” said FPL President and CEO Eric Silagy.
No. 3 - The COVID-19 testing site at Tropical Park is now open 24 hours a day offering PCR testing.
Miami-Dade County says it is averaging over 24,000 COVID-19 tests per day and Tropical Park is one of the sites with the highest demand. Tropical Park is the first site under the management of Nomi Health to be open 24 hours. Nomi Health currently works in six other states across the country in addition to supporting universities, airports and other organizations nationwide. To find other testing and vaccination sites in South Florida, click here.
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No. 4 - Rocket fire apparently targeting Kabul's international airport struck a nearby neighborhood on Monday, the eve of the deadline for American troops to withdraw from the country’s longest war after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
It wasn’t immediately clear if anyone was hurt. Last week, the Islamic State group launched a devastating suicide bombing at one of the airport gates that killed at least 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members. The airport repeatedly has been a scene of chaos in the two weeks since the Taliban blitz across Afghanistan that took control of the country, nearly 20 years after the initial U.S. invasion that followed the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
No. 5 - A man was caught on camera screaming, yelling, and getting violent at the American Airlines terminal at Miami International Airport Friday.
Miami-Dade police say the man was a veteran in crisis. The man can be seen screaming at airport staff, knocking down barricades, kicking a sign and then gets physical. Police responded and apprehended the passenger who was eventually taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and evaluation, according to Miami-Dade Police. To see the viral video from Only in Dade, click here for the story from NBC 6 reporter Nicole Lauren.
No. 6 - Nine months after tearing both the ACL and MCL in his left knee, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow took his first snaps Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, who rallied to win 29-26 in a wild preseason finale for both teams.
In the fourth quarter, Reid Sinnett scrambled on fourth-and-15 and found a leaping Chris Myarick in the corner of the end zone for a 34-yard TD to put the Dolphins ahead. According to the Dolphins, Sinnett's 343 passing yards are the most by any one player in a preseason game since at least 2017. After the game, head coach Brian Flores addressed reports that the Dolphins are interested in acquiring Texans QB Deshaun Watson, saying he has faith in Tua Tagovailoa.
