Gustav likely to be more damaging than Katrina - NG.com

If Gustav follows the projected path, downtown New Orleans will probably get sustained winds of 60 to 70 miles (97 to 113 kilometers) an hour and gusts of 80 to 85 miles (129 to 137 kilometers) an hour, said Keith Blackwell, a meteorologist at the University of South Alabama's Coastal Weather Research Center in Mobile.

Still, Gustav's storm surge could push more than 12 feet (3.7 meters) of water up the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet shipping canal, which links downtown New Orleans with the Gulf of Mexico. If that happens, the narrowness of the waterway could make the surge even higher as it comes into New Orleans, and officials are worried that the surge will be higher than the levees. - National Geographic.com

NVDL: Gustav is assymetrical, unlike Katrina,and faster moving. If it moves fast enough during the morning, affected residents may be spared additional strengthening.

clipped from news.nationalgeographic.com Hurricane Gustav is expected to make a Labor Day landfall near New Orleans on Monday morning with winds that could exceed 130 miles (209 kilometers) an hour. The storm's expected angle of approach—moving northwest or west-northwest, hugging the Louisiana coastline—could mean that an unusually long stretch could feel the full force of Gustav before it moves inland, where lack of contact with open water will weaken it. As of 2 p.m. ET Sunday, forecasters think Gustav's eye—which will contain the storm's strongest winds—may be just offshore of Plaquemines Parish, just southeast of New Orleans, by 8 a.m. Monday.