The house of this US resident almost completely collapsed. He was lucky as part of it survived. There he was able to wait out the disaster. These are the aftermaths of Hurricane Ida, which swept through the American state of Louisiana. He was recognized as one of the most powerful among those that have ever struck the US Gulf Coast.
Theophilus, 71, says he has nothing left.
[Theophilus Charles, Louisiana]:
“I was born here and survived the worst hurricanes. I thought that I would stay and survive this hurricane. But I couldn't. The house just started to fall apart, it was carried away. There is not a single dry corner left inside."
Theophilus says he was sitting in the living room during the hurricane. From there, he saw how the wind blew away the roof of his house, and felt how the walls trembled.
[Theophilus Charles, Louisiana]:
"I need help. If anyone can help please do so. I have nowhere to go and I have lost everything. I lost everything I had."
Ida hit the state exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina, one of the most disastrous and deadly for the United States.
This time, large-scale casualties were avoided. Two deaths were officially recorded. However, according to the governor of Louisiana, the victims are likely to be higher.
Rescue operations continue in flooded towns around New Orleans. Lots of trees have been knocked down, rubbish is everywhere.
Nearly a million homes in the state are now without electricity. Plumbing and sewerage systems are not working yet.
Electricity operator Entergy Corp said that power outages in the hardest hit areas will continue for several weeks.
Having wreaked havoc in Louisiana, the hurricane weakened to a tropical depression and swept into the neighboring states of Mississippi and Alabama.
