The body of a man killed when Hurricane Ida knocked a tree onto an Ascencion Parish house Sunday was recovered later that night, officials say.
The death, at a home off La. 621, in the Duplessis area between Gonzales and Prairieville, marked the first confirmed Hurricane Ida death in the capital region.
The incident was reported at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, when Ascension Parish began to feel the most severe impact of the storm. At the time, Ascension Sheriff Bobby Webre said, weather conditions were so bad that deputies were unsure when they would be able to safely retrieve the man's body.
Sustained winds blew between 45 and 47 mph between 8:15 and 9:15 p.m. Sunday at Louisiana Regional Airport near Gonzales. Gusts hit 75 mph at about 8:15 p.m., the National Weather Service reported. With help from the Prairieville Fire Department, however, they managed to recover the body hours later.