President George Bush travelled to a still-ravaged Gulf Coast after three months away, promising a post-hurricane building boom and encouraging other Americans to visit.

American soldiers and police confiscated guns from homeowners as they went house to house, trying to clear the shattered city of New Orleans of holdouts because of the danger of disease and fire.

Using the unmistakable threat of force, police and soldiers went house to house to try to coax the last 10,000 or so survivors of Hurricane Katrina to leave storm-shattered New Orleans because of the risk of disease from the putrid, sewage-laden floodwaters.

Officials watched helplessly as looters around the city ransacked stores for food, clothing, appliances and guns.