Could the Big Easy become a big lake?

New Orleans is one of the worst places in the country to be in if a major hurricane hits. It is below sea level and is surrounded by water on three sides: the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain.

A mass evacuation is the best defense if a major storm threatens the city. But many people may not or cannot leave. "We're really talking about potential catastrophe," says local emergency manager Walter Maestri, who says the death toll could be more than 20,000. "And one day it's coming. We don't know when, we don't know where, we don't know how. But it's coming." Play video >>

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