Dolphin rescued after getting 'pushed into' canal by Hurricane Ida
Dolphin Rescued in Louisiana After Being 'Pushed Into Canal' by Hurricane Ida
A young dolphin that "pushed into" a canal in the Louisiana city of Slidell during Hurricane Ida was rescued, checked for injuries, and released back into the wild on September 5. (Credit: Slidell Police Department via Storyful)
SLIDELL, La. - A young dolphin was rescued and released back into the wild Sunday after Hurricane Ida pushed the mammal into a canal in Slidell, Louisiana, according to local researchers and officials involved in the effort.
The Slidell Police Department released the footage and said officers had help with the rescue from the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other various agencies.
The IMMS said the young dolphin separated from its pod and got stranded in a drainage pond in Slidell amid rising waters on Aug. 30.
Researchers said the dolphin was examined by a veterinarian before being released back into the wild at Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.
RELATED: Ida aftermath: Some in Louisiana to be without power for several more weeks
Meanwhile, full restoration of electricity to some of the hardest-hit areas of Louisiana battered to an unprecedented degree by Hurricane Ida could take until the end of the month, the head of Entergy Louisiana warned Saturday.
At least 16 deaths were blamed on the storm in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
President Joe Biden arrived Friday to survey storm damage, touring a neighborhood in LaPlace, between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain that suffered catastrophic wind and water damage that sheared off roofs and flooded homes.
Ida was the fifth-most powerful storm to strike the U.S. when it hit Louisiana on Sunday with maximum winds of 150 mph, likely causing tens of billions of dollars in flood, wind and other damage, including to the electrical grid. The storm’s remnants dropped devastating rainfall across parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, causing more deaths and significant disruption to major cities.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.