The Times-Picayune did a series of articles in 2002 about the exact scenario that we saw happened to New Orleans this past week. Fascinating but pessimistic in tone, two of the more prominent questions posed were:

• Could anything present and future really save New Orleans in the event of a strong hurricane?
• How long will we have to keep on building structures and levees to protect a city that is continuously being eroded and sinking?

Times-Picayune: Washing Away (via CNN)