Power to be restored to New Orleans by middle of next week

Vehicles are diverted around utility poles damaged by the effects of Hurricane Ida in New Orleans (Eric Gay/AP)

Power should be restored to New Orleans by the middle of next week, officials said, amid concerns over the lack of basic services in the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.

The storm knocked out electricity to more than 1 million customers in Louisiana, but almost all lights in the city should be back on by Wednesday, according to Entergy, the company that provides power to New Orleans and much of southeast Louisiana in the storm’s path.