"I would bet that NO would have a very high percentage of people that believed in creationism. Why did God punish them?"
I would have no knowledge to take that bet on, and seems the majority left when the call came.
Blaming God for man's engineering defects for building inside a bowl below sea level as punishment is a bit accusatory now isn't it? Man does need to point the finger of blame to God and rarely ever remembers Him as they draw in every breath.
Then don't thank him for the good acts of man or nature. You can't have it both ways ...
1) God created man.
2)God knew every action man would do.
3)God knew when he created man that they would have a great flood in NO due to the engineering defects.
3)God was aware of the defects yet did nothing to prevent the catastrophe that he designed.