Gustav hit Haiti as a hurricane on Tuesday, causing floods and landslides that killed 15 people. In the neighboring Dominican Republic, a landslide buried eight people, including a mother and six of her children. Marcelina Feliz, 32, was found hugging her youngest, only 11 months old.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency to lay the groundwork for federal assistance, and put 3,000 National Guard troops on standby. New Orleans officials began preliminary planning to evacuate and lock down the city if the current projections prove accurate.

"I'm panicking," said Evelyn Fuselier of Chalmette, whose home was submerged in 14 feet (4 meters) of Katrina's floodwaters. "I keep thinking, 'Did the Corps fix the levees?,' 'Is my house going to flood again?' ... 'Am I going to have to go through all this again?"'

In Gustav's wake, Haitians struggled to find affordable food. Jean Ramando, an 18-year-old banana grower, said winds tore down a dozen of his family's banana trees, so he was doubling his price.

"The wind blew them down quickly, so we need to make some money quickly," he said.