It's Your Week. A monster hurricane slams New Orleans. Again.

New Orleans is in the dark.

More than 1 million homes and businesses are without power in Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Ida swept through the Gulf Coast Sunday as a catastrophic Category 4.

Ida has since been downgraded to a tropical storm, but not before tearing roofs off of buildings and reversing the flow of the Mississippi River. As we wade into Monday, damages continue to be assessed.

This is Your Week, an exclusive newsletter for subscribers like you. I'm your guide, Alex.

As our newsroom continues to tackle breaking news that impacts you – from COVID-19 to Afghanistan to national repercussions of Ida and the wildfires in California – I'd like to extend a sincere thank you for choosing USA TODAY.

In crisis, a network of helpers across the USA

Have friends or family affected by the storm? Tell them to sign up for the USA TODAY Network's SMS texting service, where reporters are sending need-to-know information and serving as a lifeline for those in need – all through text messaging.

"All of our coverage is aimed at getting people the information they need now," says Jessica Davis, a senior director for the USA TODAY Network's Digital Optimization Team and the journalist leading the texting.

In natural disasters, people lose power and use texting to stay in contact with loved ones and as important sources of information, she told me. "We'll stay with them, through this direct line of communication via text, as they recover." 

Davis also shared with us this harrowing story of survival:

As Hurricane Ida moved through Louisiana, a woman in hard-hit Houma replied back saying she was alone and sheltering in her closet: "I don't know how much longer my house can take this strong winds I'm scared for my life." We balanced answering her questions about the storm by text with showing her compassion.

In our chat with reporters, editors and producers, nearly every person kept asking how she was doing throughout the night. Eventually, the texts went silent. That's when one of our reporters sent her address to the local police department. She survived and later texted us her gratitude: "Thank y'all for keeping in touch with me I appreciate it."

It's your subscription that makes efforts like these possible. To our Louisiana and Mississippi readers: Stay safe. Along with texts, here's the latest on Ida, written for quick loading times if cell service is spotty.

The latest on Hurricane Ida from USA TODAY:

• Gas prices likely to jump as Hurricane Ida affects gasoline production along Gulf Coast.
• Hurricane Ida batters Louisiana hospitals filled with COVID-19 patients.
• More than 1 million people lost power. For some, restoring it could take more than 6 weeks.
• Catastrophic photos and video show Hurricane Ida's path of destruction across Louisiana.

Remembering the fallen

This week, we honor the lives of the 13 U.S. service members who died in Thursday's suicide bombing near Kabul's international airport. They were the first U.S. deaths in Afghanistan in 18 months, and some were only babies when the U.S. entered its longest war 20 years ago.

These are their names, and their stories.

• Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas
• Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California
• Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah
• U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee
• Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California
• Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, Jackson, Wyoming
• Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California
• Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California
• Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska
• Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts
• Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana
• Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri
• Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio

Eighteen service members were injured, and at least 160 Afghans were killed. Are you a veteran? Know one? We interviewed experts on what you should (and shouldn't) say to Afghanistan war veterans right now.

In the latest Afghanistan news:

Under an Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline, the retreat of U.S. forces is entering its final, dangerous phase. Here's what happened over the weekend:

• A military drone strike Friday killed two "high-profile" members of ISIS-K and wounded a third, the first American attack on the terrorist group following a bomb attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport.
• On Sunday, a drone strike was used to prevent "multiple suicide bombers" from attacking the airport, preventing "an imminent ISIS-K threat." But it may have also killed civilians in Kabul, the Pentagon acknowledged. 
• President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden traveled to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Sunday to witness a "dignified transfer" of remains, a process that honors slain service members returning to the United States.
• Biden also met with the families of the fallen service members.

A break from the news

• Four things that couples need to know about Social Security survivors benefits.
• Homeownership in reach for more as Fannie Mae to include rent payments in mortgage approval process.
• Costco deals: Here's the key to saving money so you can buy more $1.50 hot-dog-and-soda combos.
• Furious at your parents for aging? You're not alone.
• COVID etiquette: How to deal politely with the unvaccinated at work, parties and weddings.
• European Union takes US off safe country list and recommends travel restrictions tighten for Americans.

--

Thank your for reading Your Week. Stay safe.

Alex