A Martínez

It will take at least six weeks to return power to a large section of Louisiana's coast because of the damage wrought by Hurricane Ida, Jefferson Parish Emergency Management Director Joe Valiente told NPR on Monday.

"Damage is incredible" from what was a Category 4 storm, Valiente said, describing hundreds of trees that crashed onto power lines, houses and streets after being uprooted by Ida's strong winds.

Ella Yelich-O'Connor, known to the world as Lorde, is embracing a sunnier and more analog sound, full of plucked acoustic guitars and brushed snares. Since releasing her breakout single, "Royals," in 2013, she's made the most of hook-heavy pop songs constructed from a palette of overcast electronic sounds.

"In the past," she says, "I'd hear an acoustic guitar and I'd say 'Oh, here we go. It's about to get painfully authentic!' "

Khaled Hosseini is all too familiar with the heartbreak of Afghanistan's history. His epic novels, like The Kite Runner, richly portray the ups and downs of a country shattered by decades of war, tribal feuds, coups and corruption.