The Horne family, from Louisiana in the US, had a lucky escape after buying one of this Christmas’ most sought after gifts.

Floodwaters from Hurricane Isaac receded today, power came on and businesses opened ahead of the US Labour Day holiday weekend, the beginning of what is certain to be a slow recovery for Louisiana.

Hurricane Rita poured more water into New Orleans for a second day today and inundated fishing villages along Louisiana’s coast, where dozens of people were rescued from homes swamped by up to 6 feet of water.

Hurricane Rita ploughed into the Gulf of Mexico coast early today, lashing Texas and Louisiana with driving rain, flooding low-lying regions, knocking power out to nearly a million customers and sparking fires across the region.