New Orleans residents wait to be rescued from the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005 in New Orleans.

New Orleans residents are rescued by helicopter from the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005 in New Orleans.
Gipson Blanchard, front, and Robin Tanner paddle a small boat down the flooded Broadway St. in New Orleans on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005. Flood waters continue to rise in the Crescent City and thousands of residents are hoping to be evacuated.

New Orleans resident Juan Parke pushes his bike through the floodwaters in uptown New Orleans on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005.

New Orleans residents are rescued by helicopter from the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005 in New Orleans.
John Allen, of A.J. Produce Co., walks near a sign that his boss painted on the building "Looters will be shot on Site" on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans.Tulane University employees Bill Russell, front, and David Dean paddle a canoe through the uptown section of New Orleans on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005.

An airboat carries flood victims down historic St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans on Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005. Floodwaters continue to rise in the Crescent City after several levees broke, inundating the city in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.Police detain people in a stolen truck filled with looted goods

Refugees who fled Hurricane Katrina from New Orleans and surrounding areas crowd the Lake Charles Civic Center, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005, in Lake Charles, La.