recent ORLEANS -- Despite aggressiv...

recent ORLEANS -- Despite aggressive efforts to repair the of recent origin Orleans levee system after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, it isn't clear however whether it could withstand a hurricane with a heavy storm swell this year, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers conced Saturday.

Lt Gen Carl Strock said the agency was carefully tracking Tropical Storm Ernesto, which was in the Caribbean and frameed to reach hurricane strength Tuesday. Ernesto was onward a course that would bring it through Jamaica today, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

1 year after Katrina, Ernesto?

In Washington, the Homeland Security Department said Ernesto could be a Category 3 hurricane according to Thursday and could menace just discovered Orleans, ravaged by Category 3 Katrina last year. Katrina struck a year ago Tuesday.

Strock was confident the corps had done all it could to repair and reinforce 220 miles of reception walls, but he said many variables would determine whether the time of risings could withstand a major hurricane striking near of the present day Orleans.

"To pinpoint it to common thing and say 'yes' or 'no' is real difficult," Strock said.

'WE KNOW THE DRILL'

a great deal would depend on where the hurricane made landfall, wind spe rainfall and other factors, he said. The biggest relate to would be water levels in like manner high they could cascade through the whole extent of the levee walls, weakening them to the point of breaching.

Ernesto attracted the public's attention in a weekend of facts marking Katrina's anniversary. Driving rain soaked clan gathered outside the Superdome for common observance; the storms were not related to Ernesto.

Bari Landry, who lives in a of recent origin Orleans neighborhood heavily flooded by the agency of Katrina, said after seeing Ernesto's possible storm track that she decided to lay up a hotel room in Houston for Thursday in consequence of Saturday.

"There may be panic, on the contrary we know the drill," she said.

Gov Kathleen Blanco said state officials were keeping an organ of sight on Ernesto.

"It's critical we make the right call for the right reason," she said, cautioning that they want to ward opposite to the chance of unnecessary evacuations.

Officials of the state, city and 14 parishes planned to talk by means of conference call, said New Orleans Homeland Security chief Terry Ebbert.

Mandatory evacuation in the parishes below recently made known Orleans would kick in when the storm was 50 hours from the coast, Ebbert said. novel Orleans would start mandatory evacuation at the 40-hour mark. just discovered Orleans has buses and trains beneath contract to evacuate people without the means to leave, he said.

BUSH VOW: 'WE WILL STAY'

President Bush, who analysts say is haunted by means of the storm's political wreckage, reiterated Saturday his promise to help rebuild roads, sects homes and business along the whirlpool Coast.

Thousands remain homeles or living in restraint trailers, debris remains piled high in a certain quantity of neighborhoods, and services ranging from medical care to education aren't at pre-Katrina levels

"Last year, I made a simple pledge: The federal guidance would learn the lessons of Katrina, we would do what it takes, and we would stay as prolonged as it takes," Bush said in his weekly radio address. "We will stay until the work at jobs is done."

Blanco said that although she is not happy with the passing from hand to hand strength of the levee combination of parts to form a whole she thinks as much work as possible has been done in the year since Katrina.

"I will perceive better when they are completely functional and complete, but it will take time," Blanco said. "We've gotten as far as we could procure in one year."

Copyright CHICAGO SUN-TIMES 2006

Provided by means of ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved