their marina was decimated by katrina.they came back to rebuild only to get soaked by the gulf oil spill in 2010. back then, he voiced his frustration to george stephanopoulos. >> shut it down, shut it down. clean it up and let's get on with our lives. >> reporter: now as isaac moves in, most of their neighbors 456 headed to higher ground. but the vegases are determined to stay, as long as the levee holds. >> if it was katrina, i'd be the first one out, but this one here, let it go through and get us back to work. >> reporter: isaac has already cut a path of destruction through the caribbean. this time-lapsed animation shows the storm spinning and churning over the past week in its path to the u.s. in haiti, at least 19 deaths have been attributed to the storm, flooding and mud slides there now the main concern. there seemed to be little worry when isaac rolled ashore on sunday in the florida keys. >> why are you guys out here? >> because we're out of dvds at home. >> reporter: like most around here, they made it a reason

around hurricane katrina's anniversary. when katrina hit seven years ago it struck me personally.ew orleans and many of my relatives suffered through the storm. some of them lost everything. they survived. we were the lucky ones. a series of stories i did shortly after katrina hit. one of the stories featured my cousins seen here.adrian. you're looking good. that's good. you and i have been talking a little bit. tell me, you are not in one of those areas that is mandatory evacuation, but you left the house and left the house with the rest of the brothers. where have you gone and tell me why. >> well, we're at my best friend's house, eric broshier, in the inner city, he has a pretty solid home. we had weathered the hurricane george here once before so we decided to come here, because my house is a single level home, and some of my brothers can't swim and i didn't want to take that chance if something catastrophic would happen. >> we're hoping, adrian, nobody is going to have to swim, but, yeah, it could get pretty bad. we understand the flooding could get pretty bad. what are thing

take care. >>> tulane university was hammered by katrina. now, the school's president will join us once again and tell us how his school and the entire community has changed. >>> later on, they promised a big energy boost but is it a bunch of burnink? new york investigates what's in those energy drinks? [ male announcer ] it's a golden opportunity to experience the ultimate expression of power... control. [ engine revs ] during the golden opportunity sales event, get great values on some of our newest models. this is the pursuit of perfection. get great values on some of our newest models. at merrill lynch, we understand the importance of your goals. today, our financial advisors lead from a new position of strength. together with bank of america, they have access to more resources than ever before. a steadfast commitment to help you achieve your financial goals in life. that's the power of the right advisor. that's merrill lynch. >>> for those in new orleans, the threat of hurricane isaac is a glaring reminder of katrina. your next guest wa

i actually rode out katrina. for plaquemines president because nobody knew that we were even alive. my home being the same damage, the roof being blown, there's a three-foot hole in my roof. i'm seeing the same type of damage for a category 1 than i saw for that. that's not an indication on the bill spent on levees. for instance, we have over $1 billion that i signed with the colonel of the court last month to stock the levees in our parish. it took that long to get them engineered, designed, and get right of ways. that work will be done in the next three to five years. we needed time without storms to get them in place, much like what was done in new orleans. >> billy, explain to me what exact legal is happening in terms of the water coming into your house. explain the power and describe actually what is going on with your brick work. you were telling me on the break quite dramatic details about that. >> yeah. the wind -- the gust of wind blowing against the back of my home which sets right above the mississippi

that's the same kind of damage we received on katrina.away that that kind of damage from this supposedly category 1 storm, i was just shocked when i stopped there to change clothes. >> let's get right to brian todd who is live for us in new orleans. you know, listening to mr. nungesser talk about the damage he is seeing, it's quite remarkable when this is a category 1 storm, certainly with gusts of category 2, but it's illustrative of the damage that some people can see with all of the water that they are going to get, brian. >> reporter: that's absolutely right, natalie. and one of the things people outside of louisiana should know about plaquemines parish where billy nungesser is situated is that is a very low lying area. we were down there a couple of years ago to cover the oil spill. spent a lot of time with billy none guesser at nungesser. it's a large parish. they are really in the eye of this thing. of course, the eye came ashore a couple of hours ago. they are always kind of susceptible to not only hurricanes but tropical storms a

katrina was.st voluntarily here within the city. they are not going to make it mandatory until it becomes a 2 or 3 and frankly it's too late for that. there are no shelters of last resort. they have a handful of smaller shell terz for homeless people to go into. they have warned people to make your choice and then basically live with it. they are prepped for rescue if they need it. but at this point they are not -- they are not making evacuations mandatory here in the city. folks are going to have to ride it out. >> i was reading that this morning, if you haven't made it out, you're staying and hopefully you don't have to be rescued. live for us in new orleans, rob, thank you. >>> that massive storm is triggering hurricane warnings along a wide stretch of the gulf coast including the entire mississippi coast. some spots are all too familiar with this type of disaster. katrina's storm surge crashed homes. look at those pictures. that was on the eastern side of the storm. it killed more than 200 peo

look at katrina's path when it slammed into the gulf. if the current you path holds, isaac will take the same one. >> we're worried about flooding, we're worried about tornadoes. >> reporter: from florida, alabama, mississippi to louisiana, televisions are plasters with seemingly constant storm updates. officials are ready to show they've learned from mistakes of the past. >> louisiana governor bobby jindal will be holding a briefing. >> reporter: traffic has been backed up for miles where 50,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. hundreds of thousands from mississippi and alabama are being charged to leave, too. >> we encourage those people to get out of harm's way. >> reporter: but buddy and larry davis have hold it all before. they came back to rebuild only to get the oil spill in 2010, back then, he voiced his frustration to george stephanopoulos. >> shut it down, shut it down. >> reporter: most of their neighbors have headed to higher ground but the vegases are determined to stay. >> if it was katrina, i'd be the first one out, b

we're not comparing this to katrina.h something like it, there is no way in the world another storm of this size rolls through and you just brush it off lightly. you will certainly think about what you went through seven years ago, knowing that 100 people lost their lives after katrina. >> no, definitely. the wind's starting to pick up here. i think what i found from talking to residents who decided to evacuate and those that didn't, it was a tale of two new orleans, those that suffered severely during katrina and decided to get out. my uncle and his family lost their second home in bill oxcy. it was right on the gulf. they decided to evacuate. they live in the garden district. my in-laws live in jefferson parish. they didn't suffer too much damage during katrina. they're kind of miserable now because they have the no power and it likely is going to stay that way. as you said nearly half a million people without power. it's going to stay that way for a couple of days. >> i was saying, in the midst of wa we're covering, t

when we went into katrina, the pumps dated back to 1936.e now have modern pumps and a quote from the corps of engineers, we have the largest drainage pump in the world on the west bank in new orleans. it's functional and operational. all that being said, people need to be cautious because anything built by man can be destroyed by mother nature. people still need to listen to local officials, if you're outside of the levee system, you need to be evacuating today. >> let me ask you a final question about organization. you talked about the pumps and rebuilding of that. in terms of preparedness by the city, an organization by the city and all of that entire gulf coast region, what's different today than seven years ago? >> i think the local leadership is a lot more pro active. they start preaching category of storm and people go into the data bank say it's just a category one. politicians coming out more and more and saying, this area will flood, you need to move by a certain time. people without rides, you need to go to this location and be pr

another katrina.ing to see if they can test some of those lessons that they did learn from katrina when they rebuilt after all of the destruction here. they rebuilt higher. they rebuilt stronger. a lot of the houses that were blown down and rebuilt have been rebuilt not in wood but in steel and cement. so people looking at this storm with some confidence. but, again, no one takes anything for granted with these hurricanes as they come ashore along this gulf coast. too many lessons learned in the past. and this one is no different. they are going to be looking for a lot of rain, and they're going be to watching the surf to see where this storm surge actually comes up and how high it will be here. soledad? >> david mattingly for us this morning in gulfport. appreciate it. >>> let's get the latest on isaac's path and the intensity as well. we are back with richard knapp, the director of the national hurricane center. a moment ago we heard from rob marciano that the change from last hour's update to this

katrina was a lot different. a lot hotter when katrina got in the water. >> stand by. we were going to go to john. but let's talk to ed rapport from the hurricane center in miami. you seem to have no doubt in your mind that this tropical storm will become a hurricane. the question is when. >> let's say we have little doubt it will be a hurricane. intensely forecasting is a tough job. at this point, we think a category 1 hurricane, probably category 2 in two days. what tha means, really tomorrow, munld, is the only day we are guarantee there will be conditions that allow for preparations along the coast. by tuesday, t weather will be rough. everybody should be prepare ag long the gulf coast, really tomorrow. >> yeah, and you know, chad was just mentioning the temperature of the water in the gulf. and there's -- the heat -- you said there's an area that is hotter than most of the gulf here? >> yeah, the heat content when katrina was in the water is hotter than it is now, 10% or 20%. that is significant. and where the storm is going here, the loop current never got this t

we talked a lot about storm surges after katrina. officials say it could push up to a foot of water along the northern gulf coast. let me go to meteorologist br n brian. i have read your notes as well. talk to me about the great concern with this storm right now. >> storm surge is it, tamron. this is a big system. when the system is big like this, have you a lot of wind, an area of wind putting energy into the walter and pushing up against the coast. so that l shape there with louisiana and mississippi, that corner kind of funnels the storm surge in there so the national hurricane center is forecasting 6 to 12 feet of water above the land on the extreme southeast part of louisiana. that would be outside the levy. that will not, according to current calculations, challenge levies. let me bring you up-to-date. this is going to be critical. here are the numbers as of the latest advisory. we have a 65 mian hour tropical storm. we are down to where you normally have a pressure with a category 1 hurricane. we are going to see if we are upg

could this house stand up to katrina? >> not with me in it. >> david mattingly joining us now from gulfport. you always hear the brave words from people. i know there are some mandatory evacuations for some parts of the state. is anybody leaving? >> reporter: well, yes, they are leaving. and those mandatory evacuations, carol, have been very targeted to those ever-present low-lying areas along the coast here where they knew there was going to be flooding problems from a storm surge and from the rain, which you can see we're getting some of the first bands right now blowing in. some stinging rainfall right now. we're looking at a high tide here in gulfport right now as well. but we're probably going to have to get used to this, because this is just the beginning. we're going to be seeing a lot more of this as the day goes on. everyone really concerned right now about how big of a rain event this storm is going to be. we're looking at inches upon inches of rain across the gulf coast. we're going to see how those new systems

that's when katrina came through. track of katrina and the small dots there and then the current position of isaac and it's projected path. which today is becoming a little bit more gus taf like. that may be a storm we compare it to as well. 65-mile-per-hour winds with this storm. it is 400 miles southeast of the mouth of the mississippi river and barreling that way but i'll tell you what, hurricane hunter aircrafts are in there now there's no indication that they are going to upgrade this any time too soon. we'll keep hoping for a very slow strengthening if at all. we've been talking track. anybody from mobile bay to lake charles louisiana has to be wary of this storm. the strength of it, we don't know how strong it's going to get. at one point it was for a category 2 storm to come through. now it's been downgraded to a category 1 storm. there's no mandatory evacuations for new orleans proper, st. charles and part of plaquemines parish, even a strong tropical storm or weak hurricane would affect those people. the arm

i've been through katrina and gustav. my home for instance has more damage than it did from katrina and the debris is piled 10, 15 feet high against the levees in some places. >> reporter: there is the feeling here that time and tides are working against the land and the clock is ticking on efforts to fortify this stretch of the gulf. for those folks in plaquemines parish this time of year their eye is always on the next one but for us about this last one weather channel meteorologist jim cantore is still here even though this weather system has moved elsewhere. first of all i just read tonight at the height of it reversed the flow of the mississippi river back up to the north. >> that's why it is so important to pay attention to where the storm comes in, who is to the right of that center, and obviously tells us how much power ws that wind bringing the water up river. let's talk about the storm again currently sitting in southwestern missouri, very heavy rain and severe weather threat. we still have the rain bands extend

where was katrina at this point? >> katrina was already -- i believe it was already a hurricane. i can tell you right there because it will say the number on here where we are. it was already a category 2 right there at 11:00 seven years ago. >> stand by, chad. i'm getting some instruction from the producer. let's look at rick scott as he's speaking. can we hear him? rick scott in tampa, the governor of florida holing a press conference. lease listen in. >> the panhandle is already saturated so 18 inches of rain is a significant problem. especially in escambia county. the expectation is we'll have tropical storm-force winds for 40 hours in the county. as you know earlier a couple months ago we had a lot of flooding in the pensacola area, so we have that risk again. mayor talked for about tampa, but 2 to 4 inches of rain, tropical storm-force winds, so we still have some issues. but one positive this storm is going faster, so anything that's happening it will happen faster. now, all along the coast of florida we're worried about storm surge, wind, rain, and tornadoes. so everybody

not for hurricane katrina. not anything close to hurricane katrina. nonetheless, a hurricane is on way. not forecasters are right, the hurricane is going directly into the city of new orleans. that would be brand new. that did not happen with katrina. katrina missed new orleans by 70 miles, it went to the east of here. it was 100 miles from here where it did the devastation. that storm hit mississippi. it was a category three. it did not hit new orleans. new orleans was on the good side of katrina. the problem with this storm, new orleans is dead center of where they believe this storm is going. it is a tropical storm but the forecasters expect it will get stronger. we will get into the reasons in a little while. they are worried about people in low-lying areas, evacuating low lying areas in the par irish to the south and areas of st. bernard par irish but new orleans will not be evacuated. even if they wanted to, three hours from now they could not physically do so. they believe they made changes that will make the area as safe as it can be. a lot of

especially after katrina. katrina taught us all a heart breaker. and it really hurt us. to have this happen again, won't be the last time. >> shep: good luck to you. thank you. very difficult situation for folks in slidell, louisiana, and all across the gulf south. another evacuation tank coming down what is camalea drive. supposed to be dry. but not tonight. our coverage of the great storm of 2012 continues after this. i . without shriners hospitals, my life would be completely different. they gave me my future back. send your love to the rescue. donate to shriners hospitals, today. introducing share everything. unlimited talk. unlimited text. tap into a single pool of shareable data and add up to 10 different devices, including smartphones and tablets. the first plan of its kind. share everything. only from verizon. get $100 off select motorola 4g lte smartphones like the droid razr. >> shep: a live look, slidell, louisiana, as the police are coming with what they call their high water vehicle. it's a military surplus armored personnel carrier, they tell us. apparently

now after katrina i believe that gasoline prices instantly popped up 17%. are you thinking we face nothing like that increase after isaac? >> no, i don't think so. i think, maybe, 5% tops which is about 15 cents a gallon. in fact what we have to do is wait until wednesday and see what kind of damage occurs as the hurricane does cross through new orleans but keeping our fingers crossed if it is just really a wind event and some minor flooding then the refiners will be able to start operations quickly and return to full operations in 10 to further teen days. dennis: i see. if the overall impact of this storm which is not even a hurricane yet isn't as great, perhaps the, heavily focused impact will be even worse. this idea that, i read somewhere today, $36 billion in property values lies in the path of this storm but 30 billion of that 36 is right in new orleans, one of the places that can least afford it, given they haven't recovered from katrina in 2005. >> i mean they continue to see, you know, the economic repercussions of katrina and they're definitely ho

again. >> we left with hurricane katrina but that is it. had enough. >> reporter: as the storm moves inland it could bring over a foot of rain to the region. >> this storm is a slow moving storm. it will be moving through our state, we will be dealing with the storm through friday morning. >>> the flooding isn't over yet. new orleans' mayor warned residents to stay prepared. >> in the city of new orleans i would like to say now is not the time to let your guard down. stay hunkered down, stay inside and stay on task. >> i have more damage for this storm than hurricane katrina. >> reporter: it will continue to weaken as it moves over land the next 48 hours. >> reporter: new orleans tonight is under a dusk to dawn curfew. the storm will have been over louisiana for 50 hours, 50 hours if it leaves by friday morning. reporting live from new orleans, back to you. >> the bay area rescue task force is ready to help in louisiana if called on. >> ann rubin is live where she spoke with rescuers about the lessons learned during hurricane katrina that c

when katrina hit seven years ago it struck me personally.from new orleans and many of my relatives lost everything. i had a chance to share our experience in a series of stories that i did after katrina, and one of the stories featureded my cousins the dobard brothers shown there. and now this is in the esplanade ridge, and they were in a tremaine neighborhood which may seem familiar because hbo did a documentary. and you had evacuated to go to a friend's house that was two story as opposed to one story, and so when we spoke to you yesterday, you were hunkering down and it had started to rain, but how are you guys doing? >> well, yesterday, i we lost power and -- [ inaudible ] -- we lost power for good. >> we are having a hard time hearing you, adrian, but i know that one of the things that has happened is that you have lost power, and that one of the homes in that neighborhood actually partially collapsed, because of the strong winds. i know that there are strong winds happen ing ing in that neighborhood and taking a look at the picture the

katrina came in way east of here.ld we expect winds similar to those that we got in new orleans in katrina during this storm since it's so far away or would this be less winds in the city proper? >> that's a very good question. yes. during katrina, new orleans got just about hurricane force winds. and while we're now sort of middle level category 1. we think they will be slow weakening so new orleans might get still hurricane force winds in isaac. so similar winds. but the surgeon -- surge won't be as high. dangerous levels of surge but not as high as occurred in katrina. >> shepard: last september lee came here as a tropical storm. and in one of the parishes just south. jefferson parish i know they got 14 to 16 inches of rain. can we expect something similar to that? >> yes. largely because of the large size of the storm as well as the slow movement. it's only moving 7 miles per hour. going to take a long time for this large pattern to transit the state of louisiana and up to the north and so we're looking at potenti

this is a weaker storm from katrina. won't have the storm surge katrina did but maybe 10, 12 feet along the mississippi gulf coast and the moisture could mess up our labor day. we might be seeing some of that here. by saturday morning it will be in st. louis trashing toward illinois andeanian as we head toward sunday. we may get some in over the weekend. that's why when i showed you the seven-day, we had some questions as far as our competence level in when those showers and -- confidence level in when those showers and storms may arrive. tonight the drier air moves n. cumberland 59. 61 hagerstown. we'll get to about 70 here. tomorrow looks fantastic. high about 85. some spots will stop in the low 80s, jc. so this is going to be one of those days if you can have a long lunch or get outside, have outside work to do, take advantage of it. it is going to be perfect. another look at our forecast. here we go. it's very nice. 90 today. kind of sticky. 85 tomorrow. thursday a warm day. upper 80s but the humidity level will stil

and it is really seven years to the day since katrina devastated new orleans. at this moment, the storm is gaining strength on track to become a category 2 hurricane. it's almost the size of texas. it's already sideswiped the florida keys, and at this hour, is moving through the gulf. toward the gulf coast. a state of emergency in four states, more than 5,000 national guard troops mobilized. and our extreme weather team is spanned out across the storm zone. and abc's weather editor sam champion leads us off in new orleans right now. sam? >> good evening, diane. and that's lake pontchartrain behind me. the wind's up and so are the white caps. it was a real problem for flooding and hurricane katrina and it will be a real problem with isaac. the new headline from the national weather center is the long anticipated intensification of isaac has started. >> reporter: after pounding the caribbean and lashing the keys, isaac's now pointed towards the northern gulf coast. gaining strength and size in the warm waters of the gulf of mexico, the storm could be a category 2

it is nothing like katrina. but it is remarkable yesterday was the 7th anniversary of katrina. we will have a lot of damage due to flooding because this water was much higher inland than we had anticipated. nothing like the 28' surge we had. over the last seven years we have raised houses up 23'. we have made sure that most of our public buildings can withstand 200-mile-per-hour wind. we have 1,500 national guard on site and conducted 70 search-and-rescue missions. we have only had one fatality. a wrecker driver was hit by a falling tree as he pulled a vehicle out of water. we feel good about our response. we think that the outer band is passing through. i am in hancock county, just coming through with just light rain and a little bit of wind. now we are concerned about macomb, mississippi, and getting this controlled break at the lake. >>shepard: governor bryant, all the best to you. one of the problems is, the rains just come out of nowhere. look over here, seconds ago we were in absolutely bright sunshine. this is not something you would not expect in a hurricane but i have

it's not expected to be as powerful as katrina. the national hurricane center is on high alert, giving hourly briefings on isaac. a tropical storm that is expected to better organize and gain strength in the gulf of mexico in the next 24 to 48 hours. >> tonight is when the conditions will start going downhill in the warning areas, so preparations need to be taken today. >> isaac should make land fall around the same time hurricane katrina roared into the gulf as a category three storm. its seven year anniversary is this wednesday. it was the worst natural disaster in u.s. history. levees in new orleans gave way to the storm surge flooding 80% of the city. leaving more than 1800 people dead and more than $80 billion in damages. the path of isaac is similar to katrina's, but the main difference is its size and strength. isaac's winds will likely be less than katrina, but most importantly, the national hurricane center says stm surges are expected to be less than half the size of katrinas. for some residents, they aren't taking any ch

which would be on the seventh anniversary of hurricane katrina.ohn young joins us by now. with an update on where preparation stance. good morning. >> good morning. how are you? >> doing well. how confident are new orleans residence? and how ready are they? >> we are confident. over $10 million of protections and improvements have come into play since katrina. this is not the same as katrina. but it will dump a lot of rain. we are concerned about coastal flooding. but we are ready for it. we have all of our operators on duty. working around the clock. we have our emergency operations center up and running and we will be working 24/7. >> because you have been through this before, and you have had significant damage, because of that and you did this seven years ago, does this make it so that you know what you are in for a dozen to make people more skittish? >> well, both. people have learned from katrina. we have bonafide our defenses against hurricanes. people are less empathetic about a storm. and every body prepares a lot more conscientiously. >>

katrina, a 3, not much comparison.ing storm surge was similar in the storm to katrina seven years ago. because there is not a direct correlation between category number and storm surge, isn't that correct? >> well, it's more about the path of the storm. when you talk about storm surge, it's the way the winds are coming in in relation to the coast. southeastern louisiana. this storm tracked its way in from southeast to northwest. that brought the winds out of the east near the coast that piled the water up. more about path and category. you are correct. >> jim, people watching the map that you are showing and are worried they may be in the path, what do you say to them? is the storm slowing down? is it going to be less rain, less wet, what can the people in the path of the storm expect at this point? >> well, the good news is it will weaken as it continues to track northward here, becoming more just a circulation of air in the upper atmosphere. still plenty of ran to be had. many spots at least eight inches of rain. loc

but isaac is not as big as katrina. the superstorm, which devastating the city. hurricane isaac is 200 miles across, spinning off spans of rain and high winds across this gulf coast. it's hard to predict exactly where the eye will strike, where will be most badly affected but forecasters say it's heading straight for new orleans and they're bracing for themselves. they've seen it all before here, but many have seen isaac coming and decided to stay and sit this one out. >> i'm not too worried, you know what i'm saying, because it doesn't seem like a powerful storm like katrina was but you never know when it hits the gulf. >> a lot of people, you know, i think they're more prepared. they feel more comfortable about the levees and because it's not as an enormous of a storm, you know? >> but isaac is gradually closing in on new orleans. its winds are expected to be blowing at more than 85 miles an hour by the time it strikes land. its strength whipping up to the sea into storm surges. >> we are dealing with a big storm and there could be significant flooding and othe

the seven-year anniversary of katrina tomorrow. it has to be giving an extra dose of anxiety to people. >> reporter: absolutely it is, chris. the mayor and other city officials have reminded people that katrina is a different storm. every storm is different. i talked to a woman last night who in 1968 rode out the hurricane then. she will stay here if it turns into hurricane isaac. right outside of our hotel here. this is what you see here in the french quarter. a lot of people will know this as the famous french quarter. a block southwest of canal street. the famous street with the trolley. you see this everywhere. this was once the material used to put up the flood wall at the hotel. you have tourists still in the area who could not get out in time. perhaps did not have the money to get out. they are also riding out the storm. this is significant. you know, the french quarter deals with tourism. you see the outer band. it turns and a drop of a minute or less that these bands are coming in. this is a big tourist area. the tourists

since katrina we learned a lesson.have a suite of different hurricanes coming in at different sizes. we put them in a model and that's the design parameters. it is not based on one hurricane whether it be katrina or isaac. >> a lot of hurricanes have had a projected track like this one to come in west of the city proper which is the worst case scenario for the city of new orleans. thankfully it is not as strong, but it is moving mightily slowly. >> it is. it is moving slow and it will give us a lot of rain. but there will be a significant amount of surge. the surge barrier that we finished recently we closed that up and buttoned it down. isaac does not show anything else of the hundred year storm. we will see surges in that area in the 10 to 15 feet high level. >> the pumping stations have to get rid of the water. it has more of a plan now than it did before. used to be it would drain out, and now there would be a place for it to go. >> if you get into whether it is a hurricane evacuation operation or a flood flight li

i'm not as worried as i was during katrina. i am still worried a little bit. >> just before the hurricane hit, the police were out, making sure people were getting to safety. on standby, in case of flooding, which is the biggest risk. the gulf coast was being battered. it is a dangerous time. many people were confident that the new and enforced levies. there is still a storm to weather. bbc news, new orleans. >> the gentleman on the phone now is troy gilbert, a writer in new orleans. how bad are things at the moment? >> action, really, not less bad. this is only a category one storm. we are dealing with maybe sustained winds in the city. this is really not that big of a deal. the problem is its continuing and continuing. >> described where you are at the moment. has there any damage at all to any buildings? >> the no. well, where i am in new orleans is on the lake front of the city. a little neighborhood that is a part of the city. it was completely devastated during katrina. but right now, no. it is just kind of windy and rain