[AntiGuv]

There seems to be a bit of confusion here, though I'm not entirely sure (it's hard to keep up with these huge threads). The worst-case scenario for New Orleans is for the eye to pass to the east, not to the west (as is ordinarily the case in hurricanes). This is because a hurricane passing to the east will push Lake Ponchetrain (sp?) into the city, whereas a hurricane to the west won't (but it'll still be a mess, just not an apocalyptic mess).

[oceanview]

yes, that is true. but if it hits NO head on with in the eastern eyewall pushing a dome of water from the sea, it will flood anyway, and the wind damage will be on top of that.

I'll take the western part of the storm and the flooding from the lake over that.