National weather forecasters say Southern New England is overdue for a Katrina-like hurricane. Are we prepared? NBC 10 went looking for answers to that question. Chief I-Team reporter Jim Taricani spent a week in New Orleans to assess the damage there and to find out what went wrong.

When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, city, state and federal emergency evacuation plans were inadequate, to say the least. Thousands of people were left stranded on roadsides, in the Superdome and in the streets.

Officials say people in a state of panic simply don't think clearly. With only a few main roads and highways leading out of the city, evacuations became a nightmare.

New Orleans City Council President Oliver Thomas offered advice for civic leaders and citizens in Southern New England should a killer storm like Katrina hit.

"You almost have to act as if nobody else is coming. The other thing that I would say is learn from our experience in knowing that those things you can do yourself, do yourself," Thomas said.

Last Saturday, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was re-elected by a narrow margin. Many citizens criticized Nagin for not heeding warnings about the weakness of the levee system and not having a plan for a disaster like Katrina.

One of the hardest hit areas was the city's Lower 9th Ward. A levee broke, destroying the entire neighborhood. About 10,000 people in the neighborhood are without homes; all of their possessions were lost forever.

As predicted by experts, the levees breached during the storm surge and decimated 60 percent of the Crescent City. But Nagin, who was heavily criticized for lack of leadership during Katrina, claims New Orleans is now prepared for a major hurricane

His advice for civic leaders in Southern New England if a major hurricane hits?

"Make sure you have a good plan, a plan that includes good communications, a plan that includes evacuation, command and control. And you really should pay attention to communications and make sure you have multi-tiered strategies just in case one communication method goes down," Nagin said.

But the Army Corps of Engineers, which built the original levees that failed, admits that it is still behind schedule in rebuilding the levees and the walls that are supposed to prevent flooding.

"It was designed to the best engineering information available at the time. Most of the system was designed back in the '60s," said the Army Corps' Jim Taylor.

Many residents NBC 10 spoke with in New Orleans have lost faith in government on all levels. And despite assurances of safety, this upcoming hurricane season generates feelings like those of Daphne Jones, whose home was destroyed by Katrina.

"Not safe, for one thing. Afraid the levees are still not safe enough for us to move back over here," Jones said.