According to forecasters, Hurricane Gustav, which killed at least 85 people as it devastated parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Cuba, and the Cayman Islands, is expected to make landfall

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By Tim Gaynor and Matthew Bigg

NEW ORLEANS, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Hurricane Gustav lashed the Louisiana coast on Monday with pounding rain and heavy winds, posing the biggest threat to the New Orleans area since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Gustav was expected to make landfall before midday as a Category 3 hurricane, but its outer bands were already

I want to reach you before Gustav's landfall to update you on exactly how the American Red Cross is responding. The storm is barreling towards a wide swath of Gulf Coast states, including communities and major cities battered by Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

Without a moment's time to waste, we launched a massive effort beginning more than 10 days ago...

- Mobilizing thousands of staff and volunteers from states across the country including Maine, South Dakota, Tennessee, Oregon, and California.

- Moving large amounts of supplies including:

According to the National Hurricane Center, Gustav made landfall as a category 2 storm 85 miles southwest of New Orleans late this morning. Emergency officials remain concerned about storm surges and severe flooding.

Save the Children has been operating

International Medical Corps is coordinating with its local partners and volunteers who mobilized following Hurricane Katrina so it can provide immediate assistance to affected communities.

...GUSTAV WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL STORM...

AT 10 PM CDT...0300 UTC...ALL COASTAL WARNINGS HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 1000 PM CDT...0300Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM GUSTAV WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 31.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE

Amanda Christopher

Monday, September 01, 2008 - Nearly 45,000 people woke up in 334 Red Cross shelters this morning, spread out over 8 states. Many are faced with the unknowns that are sadly all too familiar, realizing that it could be days before they know how their property or possessions were affected by Gustav. Thankfully, these residents do know that they are safe and will be well taken care of by the Red Cross while they wait for the storm to pass.

Hurricane Gustav, a category three storm carrying winds of up to 185 kilometres an hour, has now hit the North American coast.

The storm has already killed 96 people in several Caribbean countries and is now threatening millions of people in the US state of Louisiana and other areas along the Gulf of Mexico.

The American Red Cross, supported by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), is well-prepared for the storm and is already giving support and shelter

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- As Hurricane Gustav strikes the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts, with the impact felt from Texas to Florida, the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is working with numerous federal agencies and voluntary organizations to support state and local authorities as they all focus on life-saving and safety related activities. Federal resources to support Search & Rescue and recovery efforts are pre-staged in areas just outside the storm's impact area and are ready to enter the region