Laplace isn’t in New Orleans at all. It’s 25 miles west. And all the older neighborhoods in New Orleans are above sea level. You really need to quit running your mouth about this.
When I was there after Katrina, it appeared to me that every housing development was in a hole with a dyke around it to keep out the water. Or keep it on once it flooded. People are great there, foods awesome, but you gotta know that even a small storm surge is going to cause huge damage.
A great book that deals with the history and geography of New Orleans from it’s founding to the present day is “Time and Place in New Orleans”, by Richard Campanella. It details how slowly over time, the city has suffered from the construction of the levees along the Mississippi River.