President Joe Biden said he's asked the Federal Aviation Administration to allow Entergy Louisiana and others "to operate the use of surveillance drones to assess Ida's damage to energy infrastructure."
Biden also directed the U.S. Department of Defense to release satellite imagery of Hurricane Ida's path of destruction to help determine infrastructure damage.
Gov. John Bel Edwards estimated that close to two million people are without power, saying one million homes and businesses have reported outages.
"If there's anything else you need, just call," Biden said during a call with state leaders Monday. "Just holler."
Biden told leaders that for a direct line to the White House, contact Cedric Richmond, his senior adviser who spent a decade representing parts of Baton Rouge and New Orleans in Congress.
"Whatever you need, go to Cedric," Biden said.
Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng told Biden that she has not had contact with Grand Isle since Sunday night. When she last spoke with Mayor David Carmardelle, there were around 40 people on the Island, including firefighters.
"It’s very hard to not have any word," Lee Sheng said.
The public was able to watch several minutes of the call before the White House feed made the meeting private. Leaders on the call also included East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and Lafayette Mayor Josh Guillory.