Louisiana towns still crawling out from Ida's destruction

NEW ORLEANS - Shattered communities across southern Louisiana were still assessing storm damage from Ida on Thursday as floodwaters had yet to recede in many places four days after the hurricane knocked out power to a million homes and businesses.

The Category 4 hurricane came ashore on the barrier islands and swampy lowlands known as the bayou, where many small towns are difficult to reach even without roads being clogged with fallen trees, power lines and debris hurled about by gusts of wind that reached 172 miles per hour (276 kph). The crucial offshore-oil hub of Port Fourchon was directly in the path of the storm and cut off from supply boats, fuel and air ferry services, crippling operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, which supplies about 16% of U.S. oil production.