Three years after Hurricane Katrina battered Louisiana, this coastal region is having a repeat performance with Hurricane Gustav. Seven hundred thousand homes thus far have lost power, which will likely not be restored until at least Wednesday. Gustav was downgraded to a Category 2 by the National Hurricane Center on Monday, after it caused upwards of 8 million dollars in damage. Residents of New Orleans were issued a mandatory evacuation, but many residents chose to remain behind, feeling that Gustav was just a "bad storm" compared to their experiences with Katrina.

The deputy administrator of FEMA, Harvey Johnson, said that as many as 40,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and are in need of government help, bringing the grand total of evacuees to around 2 million. There are also concerns about large boats and barges that broke loose of their ties at the start of the storm that could damage the levees and canal walls. Two Navy boats and approximately seven barges broke loose, although most of them have beached on their own without causing damage.

With most people evacuated, the main concern is the possibility of water breaching the levees that haven’t been repaired or improved since Katrina swept through in 2005. Many have been improved on, but officials say the projects won’t be fully completed until 2011.

Gustav has caused an almost 9-foot storm surge, according to the US Geological Survey, and is expected to rise another 1 to 3 feet. A total surge between 10 and 14 feet could result in life-threatening flooding.

President Bush made a trip to the Texas Emergency Operations Center in Austin, and commended the government’s relief efforts for being far more prepared as a result of Katrina. Bush said, "What I look for is to determine whether or not assets are in place to help, whether or not there’s coordination and whether or not there’s preparation for recovery. To that end I feel good about this event."