Here are some New Orleans webcams

[kandrathe]

I curious what the wind speed was. It doesnt say in those references.
[right][snapback]88055[/snapback][/right]

In comparing storm surge effects, wind speed is somewhat irrelevant.

My point is that it's important to note that not all Hurricanes in the Atlantic hit the Americas. Just that many more of them tend to hit the Americas than those that gather strength and then plummet into Europe. The frequency of a Category 3 or better storm hitting the Americas trends towards one in ten years, the frequecy for one hitting Europe seems to be about one in 30-50 years.

However, as the planets oceans begin to warm, it will become more and more likely that large Atlantic Hurricanes will not dissipate in cold North Atlantic waters and continue on to slam into Europe. Those that do form, wherever they might be headed, will have more energy.

NA Hurricane Tracks

The issues with New Orleans are that their Levees were know to be sufficient to withstand a Category 3 hurricane. And, now, fate has dealt them a storm they were not prepared to handle As Eppie suggested, the sad irony is that they knew they were unpreppared and this risk existed for many years, and nothing was ever done about it. When fate was cruel to the Netherlands in 1953, they began a 30 year project to protect themselves from something that was far less prevelant than the on US gulf coast. Don't we all look like a bunch of idiots?