Couple speak of hurricane ordeal

John Drysdale and Teresa Cherrie were trapped by Hurricane Katrina

A couple who escaped the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have been describing their nightmarish ordeal.

John Drysdale and Teresa Cherrie, from Renfrew, in Scotland, were trapped on a rooftop by rising flood waters last week in disaster-hit Baton Rouge.

The holidaying couple returned to Glasgow Airport early on Tuesday morning to an emotional welcome from relatives.

Mr Drysdale said the situation faced by hurricane survivors had been crazy.

The couple became stranded on the roof of an apartment block with 10 American refugees after fleeing from New Orleans to nearby Baton Rouge.

It was crazy, every night you could hear gunshots John Drysdale

After being reunited with about a dozen family members, Mr Drysdale, 41, told how he had no idea what lay ahead for him and his partner when they booked the trip.

He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We'd phoned the travel company on the Saturday - our flight was on Saturday morning - and they said just go ahead, it's just a tropical storm, it will last a day and everything will be back to normal on the Monday or Tuesday after it.

"We never had any idea of what we were getting into. We got told to go ahead and enjoy our holiday."

The couple, who were on their first trip to the United States, found themselves being moved from hotel to hotel following the devastating effects of the hurricane.

Authorities undermanned

Last Friday, Teresa, 42, had made an emotional appeal for help on American TV networks.

They had been forced to scavenge and steal food from supermarkets while trying to hide from gangs roaming the streets.

Mr Drysdale said they were targeted by a group who wanted their water.

Rescue and relief efforts are continuing across the disaster area

He said: "We were getting followed about... they were saying 'They've got water, they've got water'."

The lorry driver said his main priority had been to try to keep Teresa safe.

"It was crazy, every night you could hear gunshots."

Mr Drysdale said the police were "really undermanned" but that they were facing a very difficult situation.

"That was the worst part about it," he added.

The couple, who had been due to fly home three days ago, paid tribute to the group of Americans they befriended during the crisis.

Mr Drysdale said: "The Americans we teamed up with were amazing. This girl, Bonnie, kept phoning home to her sister. We got more information from Bonnie's sister than we were getting from the city."

The pair said they would not return to New Orleans but are planning a trip to Chicago to visit one of the families that helped them.