New Orleans, LA Hurricane Risk

New Orleans carries the most consequential hurricane history of any American city. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005 as a Category 3 storm and caused catastrophic levee failures that flooded 80% of the city, killing over 1,800 people and displacing hundreds of thousands. Much of New Orleans sits below sea level — in some neighborhoods, up to 8 feet below — relying entirely on a system of levees, floodwalls, and pump stations for protection. Hurricane Ida struck in August 2021 as a Category 4 storm, knocking out power to the entire city and leaving residents without electricity for weeks in brutal summer heat. The metro area's geography — bounded by Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the Mississippi River to the south — means storm surge can approach from multiple directions simultaneously. For New Orleans residents, the difference between a cone entry and landfall can be measured in hours. There is no other major American city where early warning matters more.