NEW ORLEANS — Ten days after Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana as a Category 4 storm and devastated coastal communities, stories are still coming out about residents surviving terrifying encounters with the storm and helping each other after it passed.
Despite gas still being a rare commodity — fewer than half of New Orleans' gas stations have fuel — lines are still much shorter than they were in Ida's immediate aftermath, when people needed to power on generators to stay cool.
That's because in many places, lights are beginning to flicker on. Most of New Orleans has power again, a move Entergy says is the first step in restoring electricity to other parts of the state.
In fact, most areas hit by minor to moderate damage from Ida are expected to be back by end of the day Wednesday.
For harder-hit areas however, the wait could be much longer.
Lights are beginning to come on in LaPlace, but more than 90% of St. John the Baptist Parish remains in the dark, with endless damage in all directions.
“It’s like a war zone. I just can’t believe this is my town,” said Joseph Haywood, a homeowner in the dark. “Total devastation. If you drive around LaPlace — just total devastation.”
But amid the destruction, people are coming together to help each other. Businesses opening up after the storm are giving away food and supplies to residents unable to reach an open store.
For a list of places where free resources are being distributed, click here:
And in Lafitte, shrimper Norman Bouisse is lucky to be alive after spending 13 hours in his capsized boat as Hurricane Ida roared overhead.
Bouisse planned to ride out the storm with a friend in Lafitte. He thought he had time to check on his boat in Bayou Barataria, but Ida was too quick and too strong.
"I was on my boat and my boat broke loose and rolled over," he said. "I spent almost 13 hours laying on the boat and the next morning my friend came and rescued me."
To see him tell the story himself, click here:
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