8-29-05 -New Orleans-area emergency officials say they can't reach a building blown down by Hurricane Katrina. Residents of the building on the Mississippi's west bank called 911 to say people might be trapped in the building.

The storm's powerful wind and rain are making a mess in the city.

In one downtown area, waters cover the first-floor of some buildings, and highway off-ramps from Interstate Ten resemble boat ramps leading down into a lake.

But dire predictions of catastrophic flooding appear to have
been overstated.

On historic Jackson Square in the French Quarter, two huge oak
trees toppled outside the 278-year-old St. Louis Cathedral. They fell on either side of a marble statue of Jesus Christ, snapping off just a thumb and forefinger on his outstretched hand.

The National Weather Service reports a levee break that could
cause three-to-eight feet of flooding.

Forecasters say Katrina has lost some strength and is now whipping up 125 mile-per-hour wind as it crawls inland. It could shed up to 15 inches of rain over the next few days over the Gulf Coast and Tennessee Valley.