How many major hurricanes have hit the city of New Orleans?
According to the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Library, New Orleans has been hit by two major (Category 3 or above) hurricanes. Those were Hurricane Betsy (Category 3) in September 1965 and Hurricane Katrina (Category 4) in August 2005. When will the levees protecting New Orleans be rebuilt? President Bush has recently pledged $3.1 billion for fortified hurricane protection. “The levee system will be better and stronger than it has ever been in the history of New Orleans,” said Donald Powell, the top federal official for Hurricane Katrina reconstruction. In early January 2006, Congress gave the Army Corps of Engineers an extra $225 million–eight times the annual appropriation before Hurricane Katrina–to expedite flood control work in Jefferson and Orleans parishes. The US Army Corps of Engineers has the funding for the rebuilding of the levee system and in the process of making repairs. Ms. Susan Jackson, Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orlea
