New Orleans flood defences stand firm in face of tropical storm

TROPICAL storm Lee crawled onto southern Louisiana’s coast as New Orleans prepared for one of the biggest tests of its flood defences since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005.

Winds were expected to weaken gradually in the next couple of days and up to 20 inches of rain was expected to fall on southeast Louisiana, the National Hurricane Centre said.

In New Orleans, the storm recalled Hurricane Katrina, which flooded 80% of the city, killed 1,500 people and caused more than $80 billion (€56bn) in damage to the popular tourist destination.