Curfew on New Orleans lifted following Hurricane Ida

New Orleans officials have lifted the city’s curfew a week and a half after Hurricane Ida hit the area.

The curfew had been in place since last Tuesday in what officials said was an attempt to prevent crime.

“There’s absolutely no reason for anyone to be on the streets of the city of New Orleans,” Police Chief Shaun Ferguson said at the time the executive order by Mayor LaToya Cantrell (D) was put in place.

City officials said Wednesday the lifting of the curfew “comes as the city sees continued progress in its recovery from this weather event.”

“As the curfew is lifted, NOPD will continue to provide increased and focused patrols throughout the city, including in areas that have yet to have power restored,” the statement from the city added.

More than a million people were without power in the immediate aftermath of the Category 4 hurricane making landfall. Thousands had evacuated their homes before the storm hit.

Last week, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman told a local outlet there were around 40 people who were arrested for looting in New Orleans.

Ferguson and Cantrell tried to dismiss fears there was widespread looting, with Ferguson saying he would not give the number of arrests for looting out because he didn’t want a “false narrative” to be created.

“There is no widespread looting; there is widespread empathy and community cooperation,” Cantrell said.

There are still more than 317,000 individuals without power in Louisiana, according to PowerOutage.US, with no indication of when all power will be restored.