Gustav Hits Houma; Levees Holding; Tornado Watches Multiply

The Associated Press is reporting:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Hurricane Gustav has crashed into the all-but-deserted Louisiana coast. The eye has landed southwest of New Orleans.
Gustav brought punishing wind and sheets of rain. But the storm veered away from New Orleans, where only a few holdouts and those that refused to abandon Bourbon Street remained. Gusts snapped large branches from the majestic oak trees that form a canopy over St. Charles Avenue. Tens of thousands were without power in New Orleans and other low-lying parishes, but officials said backup generators were keeping city drainage pumps in service.

The Army Corps of Engineers says the federal flood protection system that protects New Orleans should hold up as Hurricane Gustav hits west of the city. Spokesman Rene Poche said Monday the Corps doesn’t expect any storm surge flooding. The report came as other officials around New Orleans offered early reports that levees were holding.

The water was rising in the city’s Industrial Canal, occasionally splashing up against the edge. But St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro said the water is being contained by the flood walls along the canal.

Levee experts cautioned against celebrating early, since early reports during hurricanes Katrina and Betsy mistakenly said flooding was not a problem. A hurricane’s winds can push surge shoreward for hours after a hurricane makes landfall.