Highway 23, that leads past the Reliance Oil refinery, is blocked by sand bags and an earth dike as flood waters continue to rise in New Orleans, Louisiana September 25, 2005. The governor of Louisiana Kathleen Blanco, whose state was slammed by two powerful hurricanes in less than a month, said on Sunday she was asking the federal government for $31.7 billion to help rebuild the state's infrastructure. REUTERS/ Charles W. Luzier