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I don't take issue with all of your statement but "N.O. is 12 ft below sea level"?????

Well, it is close to that. According to Wikipedia:

...The city of New Orleans actually contains the lowest point in the state of Louisiana, and one of the lowest points in the United States, after Death Valley and the Salton Sea. Much of the city is actually located between 1 and 10 feet (0.3 to 3 m) below sea level, and as such, is very prone to flooding. Rainwater is continually pumped out of the city and into Lake Pontchartrain across a series of levees and dikes. However, if it rains more than 1 inch, or if there is a major storm surge, such as that caused by a hurricane, greater flooding can occur...

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I have read that engineers suggested flood gates for the narrow opening to Lake Pontchartrain, to be closed during extremely high tides and storms. In hindsight that is what should have been done but the enviros objected. My grandfather survived the Galveston storm of 1900. Galveston Island was 8 feet high on the highest part. Grandfather said the storm surge was 2 feet deep in the second story of the house he rode out the storm in. The storm surge went across the island from the Gulf side into Galveston Bay and then the water came back across the island from the bay side, the returning water was just as destructive as the first time.