By Tim Gaynor and Matthew Bigg
New Orleans
Sept. 1: Hurricane Gustav barged ashore on the US Gulf Coast west of New Orleans on Monday, hammering the city devastated by Katrina in 2005 with surging floodwaters that threatened its rebuilt levees.
The storm was weaker than feared. But waves splashed over floodwalls containing the New Orleans industrial canal, triggering a tense watch over the barrier system that failed three years ago. Water rose in the Fifth District, west of the canal, and the US Army prepared to evacuate residents who stayed behind.