More than 25,000 workers from 40 states are trying to fix 14,000 damaged poles, more than 2,200 broken transformers and more than 150 destroyed transmission structures as they work to restore electricity to New Orleans.

In a second wave of calamity in the Northeast, fires, likely triggered by gas leaks, broke out in swamped homes and businesses, many inaccessible to firefighters because of floodwaters.

The Louisiana governor’s office says damage to the power grid appears ‘catastrophic’ – knocking out refrigeration and air conditioning in a week with heat forecast in the mid-80s to near 90.