Hundreds feared dead on storm-ravaged U.S. coast

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Helicopters plucked frantic survivors from rooftops, debris-fouled water flooded historic New Orleans and hundreds were feared dead on Tuesday after Hurricane Katrina's rampage across the U.S. Gulf Coast.Authorities made plans to remove thousands of storm refugees from the Superdome stadium and other shelters in New Orleans, most of which was flooded when sections of its protective levee system collapsed overnight and allowed water from Lake Pontchartrain to swamp the streets.The U.S. military planned to use helicopters to drop giant sandbags filled with gravel into the breach. Authorities were also considering plugging the gap with shipping containers filled with sand.