Funny you should mention Carla. I was in Victoria during that and the storm passed right over Victoria and was a Cat 3 even by the time it got to Victoria. I was only 11 and watched my dad nailing huge boards over the garage door from the inside to save the house. I actually opened the front door during the peak because I was curious and wanted to see more and my Dad had to struggle to close it.
I also lived in N.O. for 20 years. Those people knew this type storm would eventually come but N.O. is, how should I say this, rather loose about such things. The whole city including the citizenry have always had a "If it comes it comes" attitude about hurricanes. Kind of a gambler's mentality. You kind of need that to live below sea level to begin with. They stay there because their whole family is there and it's home etc etc
Actually I was wrong on the date - Carla hit in 1961. I was 7 years old. I remember looking out the window (it was night) and seeing the rain coming down in what appeared to be horizontal. The live oak trees were bending way over.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/docs/research/hurrhistory/Carla/carla.html