Tropical Storm Gustav could hit New Orleans as a Hurricane

Although New Orleans’ levees have been strengthened since Hurricane Katrina ripped through them three years ago, they are not scheduled for completion until 2011, leaving the city “far from protected” as Tropical Storm Gustav approaches, according to the Seattle Times. According to the Times, the hurricane protection system’s US$15-billion upgrade is only 20% complete, though experts and the Army Corps insist the city is safer than it was prior to Katrina.This has raised concern as the National Hurricane Centre tracks Tropical Storm Gustav. The centre forecasts Gustav could turn into a hurricane and slam right into the area between Florida and Louisiana. “It is simply impossible to determine exactly where and when Gustav will make final landfall,” the NHC reports. “In fact taking into account the uncertainties in track intensity and size forecasts the chances of hurricane-force winds within the next five days are essentially the same at each individual location from the Florida Panhandle Coast westward through the entire coastline of Louisiana.” Forecasts suggest Gustav could hit Tuesday morning, potentially as a Category 2 or 3 hurricane, Neena Saith, catastrophe response manager at Risk Management Solutions (RMS), notes in a release. “The uncertainty in the forecasts means that everyone along the Gulf coast should be on alert from Texas to Florida,” she says. Hurricane Katrina was a Category 3 hurricane when it hit Louisiana in 2005, causing a breach in the levee system that protected New Orleans from flood damage. Katrina cost between US$50-60 billion in insured damages.