Mo. sends soldiers to help with La. hurricane recovery

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri is sending about 300 National Guard soldiers to help Louisiana communities battered by Hurricane Ida, Gov. Mike Parson announced Tuesday.

Missouri soldiers are scheduled to provide humanitarian aid, equipment, debris removal and other general assistance for at least two weeks.

At least four deaths were blamed on the storm, including two people killed when Ida's torrential rains washed out a highway in George County, Mississippi, and seven vehicles plunged into the 20-foot hole.

More than 1 million homes and businesses in Louisiana and Mississippi -- including all of New Orleans -- were left without power when Ida slammed the electric grid Sunday with its 150 mph winds, toppling a major transmission tower and knocking out thousands of miles of lines and hundreds of substations.

Parson said he and his wife are praying for Louisiana.

"Teresa and I are praying for the state of Louisiana and all her people as they begin to recover from Hurricane Ida's devastation and destruction," he said in a statement.