A Louisiana man is missing after he was allegedly attacked Monday by an alligator during Hurricane Ida, according to police.
The unidentified 71-year-old man was in his shed in Slidell when his wife reported hearing noise, according to St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The shed was filled with several feet of water because of Hurricane Ida’s storm surge, according to WWLTV. (RELATED: NBC News Reporter Nearly Gets Toppled Over By ‘Monster’ Storm Ida During Live Broadcast)
The woman then said she watched as her husband was attacked by an alligator, according to police. The wife allegedly pulled her husband away from the alligator before going inside to find medical supplies. After realizing the extent of her husband’s injuries, the woman left to find help, police said.
STPSO says foul play is not suspected, but they are continuing to investigate. We’ve been speaking with neighbors who say large alligators approach people often because they sometimes feed them. https://t.co/EHxxgBdvaL
— Erika Ferrando WWLTV (@ErikaFerrandoTV) August 31, 2021
The woman then hopped into a boat to find help due to the floods, according to the report. When she returned, she was unable to locate her husband. Authorities launched a search but were also unable to find the man after six hours, according to the report.
The hurricane ripped through parts of the Gulf Coast, leaving more than one million without power. The Associated Press reported that the storm is the fifth strongest hurricane to hit the U.S. Winds reached more than 150 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center reported.