In case you're wondering why it's newsworthy, any moreso than any other large hurricane, New Orleans sits 6 feet below sea level and a "A direct hit from a powerful hurricane on New Orleans could furnish perhaps
the largest natural catastrophe ever experienced on U.S. soil."
If you're up to it, there's all sorts of discussion on the storm (including from folks who live in New Orleans and neighboring areas, and those who are in FEMA or with other emergency services), over at
MetaFilter.