A teenage girl rescued a family of three baby squirrels from the wild after their nest was destroyed by Hurricane Ida - naming them Simon, Alvin and Theodore.

Bailee Villavaso, 15, was alerted by a neighbour when they spotted the trio cowering under a fallen tree.

Neither their nest, or their mother, was anywhere where to be seen, so Bailee, with the help of her younger brother Jude, 12, decided to take action.

The teenager dashed home and grabbed bedding from her rabbit's cage and made the squirrels a comfortable, temporary home in a plastic box.

After drying them off from the rain, Bailee quickly realised that the squirrels needed urgent care so she called a local veterinarian for advice.

It was suggested that she bought puppy milk powder and a small nursing bottle to feed the squirrels.

She began feeding the squirrels twice a day, and, to her surprise, 24 hours later they began to perk up, and now live with the schoolgirl.

Bailee, from New Orleans, Louisiana, said: "When I first rescued the squirrels they were really lethargic and scared of me and my brother.

"But when I started feeding them, the change in their behaviour was obvious.

"They started jumping around and climbing all over me which was really nice as it felt like we'd nursed them back to good health.

"We decided to name them Alvin, Simon and Theodore after Alvin and the Chipmunks until we find a good home for them.

"I have tried calling local animal rehabilitation centres but no one has any room for them.

"I was told they are all full up with other wildlife that have lost their homes because of the hurricane."

Bailee's act of kindness on August 30 went viral overnight after her older brother Joseph, 21, posted a photo of her playing with the squirrels on Twitter.

Not only has the teenager given the squirrels a warm, safe new home, she's now gone a step further by knitting them each their own individual hoodies to wear.

"The reaction we received from strangers online was amazing " Bailee added.

"The hoodies were just an idea at first, but since my school has been shut because of Hurricane Ida I've had the time to actually make them.

"I'm just thankful that we were able to save the squirrels and give them a better life; and I'm hopeful we find a lovely, permanent home for them in the future."

This video was shot within September 2021.