The traditional barbecues of the Labor Day holiday have been replaced in many communities of southeast Louisiana with debris removal and damage assessments, as parishes continue to dig out from Hurricane Isaac's destruction.
More than 125,000 homes and businesses across Louisiana remained without power Monday, and a few thousand evacuees were still in shelters, as waterways bulging with Isaac's rain and storm surge continued to threaten a few areas.
But as threats of new flooding lessened, schools prepared to reopen Tuesday. Plaquemines Parish officials began to allow some residents in to view the storm damage in the hard-hit parish. And FEMA was taking applications across nine parishes for individual assistance grants.
President Barack Obama was set to visit the state Monday and tour storm damage.