'Water running down the walls:' Durham family stuck in Louisiana after Hurricane Ida

By Lora Lavigne, WRAL reporter

With the power out for millions of customers in the Gulf region from Ida, many people living in the Triangle are worried about their family members in the pathway of the storm.

A Durham woman says her family and friends are stuck in Louisiana after traveling to New Orleans last week..

Erica McKever’s mom, sister and friends, all from Durham, were on vacation in the French Quarter of New Orleans last week for a birthday trip – not knowing they’d soon be stranded there.

The morning after Hurricane Ida passed, Louisiana woke up to floods, downed trees and destroyed buildings. Some people were trapped in attics and on rooftops, posting their addresses on social media to help search and rescue teams find them. With power outages and a downed fuel pipeline, it’s difficult to get in touch with loved ones who may be stuck in impacted areas.

“By morning, I kind of freaked,” said McKever, because it’d been so long since she’d heard from them.

She also worried because her mom was running low on medication for an underlying health condition.

Before she lost contact with them, they told her:

“At the hotel there are major leaks. There was literally water running all down the walls. They ended up having to move people from one side.”

She wouldn’t hear from them again for 16 hours.

“It’s the worst feeling for your family not to be accounted for,” she said.

Then a sigh of relief when she heard her mom’s voice on the other end of the phone. Now, however, this Durham family is scrambling, searching for food and water along with so many others in Louisiana.

Red Cross crews from Fayetteville help in Louisiana

That’s where American Red Cross steps in. Just as some families are trying to get back to NC, some volunteers from NC are traveling down into the Gulf coast.

A crew from Fayetteville was deployed to Louisiana to help families just like this in need.

“Whatever is necessary for feeding, for sheltering, for distribution of emergency supplies,” said Helen Miller, an American Red Cross Volunteer.

They’ll also help with clean-up.

More than 1 million customers in Louisiana and Mississippi — including all of New Orleans — were left without power.

“They’ll be other times for supplies, but right now the immediate needs are food, water and a dry space to stay,” said Phil Harris of the American Red Cross.

McKever is hoping her family can get back home to Durham soon.

“It was definitely tough not hearing from them, but now it’s like I have to stay calm because they’re the ones in the situation,” she said.