Displaced by Ida: Low on funds, family of 7 looks for refuge

For Shelly Savoie, time is running out at the Motel 6 in Bossier City, Louisiana

For Shelly Savoie, time is running out at the Motel 6 in Bossier City, Louisiana. So are diapers and dollars. Savoie and her family of six fled their home in a New Orleans suburb on the West Bank of the Mississippi river as powerful Hurricane Ida hit the region, knocking out power for thousands, destroying homes and flooding streets. But the immediate relief she felt at having been able to escape the storm's destruction has given way to numerous anxieties. Savoie's biggest concern is that she will run out of money. She thought she would only have to stay in a hotel for about three nights. Now she's discovered that widespread power outages across the state — including in Jefferson Parish, where she lives — might not be resolved for weeks. She also found out that the ceiling of her home partially caved in when Ida passed through and that tree limbs fell on the house and across her yard. “I’m on edge, definitely,” Savoie told The Associated Press on Monday in Facebook messages written during a break from making calls to the Red Cross. “I’m trying to stay calm, especially around the kids."