New Orleans did dodge a bullet - it was hit by a Category 4 hurricane, not a 5, and the levees failed only after the hurricane had passed. This meant New Orleans filled to the level of Lake Pontchrain in a day and a half AFTER the 100+ mph winds stopped, rather than in an hour and a half with 140+ mph winds still blasting through. That saved scores of thousands of lives - maybe 100,000+ lives.
I think that Superdome would have failed big time if it were hit by the right side of that Hurricane
Yes, it dodged a bullet.
Unfortunately, it got hit by the other two rounds of the three round burst. Ooops.