but I don't know much about all of this weather-reading, so hopefully more knowledgeable folks will let us know for sure.
The thing to remember is, the lower the pressure in any given area, the more force is applied by everything surrounding (atmospheric gasses) that are influenced via laws of physics to "get in" to that area. In weather systems, that force is manifested as "wind". Regarding Hurricanes, this wind force is categorized -- hence CAT 3, 4, 5 etc. Ground surface wind also has the undesirable effect of raising ocean and lake sea levels. This is why coastal cities like New Orleans would be in grave danger.
Other problem is they have to pump water out of the below sea level city. Thus rain alone if sufficiently fast could flood the city, even in the unlikely chance that NO is "missed".
Furthermore the eye is 40 miles across so a 20 mile miss is still a hit.
What will happen to all of the cemeteries?