As the rescue and recovery effort continues in the U.S. Gulf Coast, some hurricane survivors are returning to Canada with harrowing tales.

In New Orleans to celebrate a wedding anniversary, Jason and Karen Weir were staying at a hotel in the French Quarter when Hurricane Katrina approached.

They were evicted from their hotel, and sought refuge at a Holiday Inn, where they weathered the storm.

"The power went out and came back on again," Jason said Monday on CTV's Canada AM. "Then it went out and we heard a low rumbling for half an hour. And then all hell broke loose. The windows started to flex."

Following the storm, they headed to the New Orleans Convention Center, but were told it was going to be used as a military facility and a hospital.

The couple joined about 10 other tourists and headed to higher ground – a bridge outside a nearby shopping mall.

There, the situation grew from bad to worse. With virtually no police presence, the tourists had to fend for themselves.

"When night came, it was terrifying," said Jason. "There was no power. We heard gunshots and blood-curdling screams everywhere."

Ultimately, the couple climbed aboard a crowded bus leaving the city, and made their way to an airport in Shreveport, La.

Sitting in the Canada AM studio in Toronto almost a week after their ordeal, the couple was still shaken.

"People were on the streets. They were hungry and thirsty," said Karen.

"It was a poor city to start with," Jason added, his voice choking with emotion. "That city is gone."

David Powel was in a rental apartment in New Orleans when the floodwaters started rising.

"The water was just a couple of feet from getting inside the house," he said. "It was rising about a foot or more an hour.

"Up until then, I didn't really think about dying. But by 10 am, I started thinking about what could happen."

Powel was just three blocks from the Mississippi River, and feared it would overflow. "I was afraid we would all be washed out to the river," he said.

So, he left his home.

"I was lucky. There was a small sliver of land that I could use to walk out," he said. "I had to walk about 10 miles down through the French Quarter and another area.

"There were people in the street who looked dangerous. They didn't look like people I wanted to walk by, so I was constantly taking side streets to stay away from them."

Ultimately, Powel managed to get a vehicle and head to the highway. During his trip, he overheard a comment that angered him.

"I heard someone say, 'Why didn't the people just walk out?' Well, you don't understand," said Powel. "This is Louisiana. There are snakes in the water."

Powel was soon reunited with his wife, Pamela, who was in Toronto for their son's wedding.

"The horror stories are still continuing," she said. "He's now telling me little bits that he didn't tell me on the phone … It was worse than I thought."

Many other Canadians have similar stories.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade reported Sunday night that 170 Canadian survivors were no longer in the affected area and in need of consular assistance.

The department said another 64 people were still in the affected area and in need of help.

Twenty-one Canadians came home yesterday, Dan McTeague, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, told CTV News on Monday.

But he acknowledged that "the situation is still very grim and many people remain behind.

He said government officials had to engage in "extraordinary means" to get Canadians out of the hurricane-ravaged area.

"It's important that people understand the Canadian government and its officials weren't given the opportunity to get into places like New Orleans," McTeague said.

"No foreign representatives from any country were allowed."

McTeague said government officials had to locate Canadians by working with the National Guard, the U.S. Army and FEMA.

McTeague said "there are no Canadians reported dead as of yet. "I suppose that's a blessing in disguise," he said.