Officials Say New Orleans is Better Protected This Time Around

August 28, 2012

Hurricane Isaac is churning through the Gulf of Mexico, reminding residents of the death and destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina almost seven years ago. That storm was one of the worst in U.S. history, killing more than 1,800 people, wrecking hundreds of thousands of homes and tripling unemployment in the area.

​​Seven years ago, Hurricane Katrina hammered the U.S. Gulf Coast with a storm surge eight and a half meters high and winds that blew apart buildings.

The storm overwhelmed the levees that were supposed to protect the city of New Orleans.

With that experience in mind, residents and officials are focusing on satellite and radar images that show Hurricane Isaac headed for the same area.

Residents of low-lying areas are being urged to flee to higher ground, and everyone has been instructed to board up windows and stock up on food, water and flashlights.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu says residents need to heed the lessons of Katrina. He says the city is ready.

“We are staged, battle ready, we are in battle rhythm, we are prepared to handle what comes our way,” Landrieu said.

Since Katrina, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has spent billions of dollars to strengthen New Orleans against flooding. While parts of the project are unfinished, the Corps says the city has its strongest-ever defense against floods.