Irish Channel, New Orleans The neighborhood included the St. Thomas Development. Built on the city's old high ground, the neighborhood escaped the catastrophic flooding of most of the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (see: Effect of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans). A historically working class neighborhood of New Orleans, the Irish Channel is home to a number of notable landmarks, including: The Irish Channel is zoned to schools in the New Orleans Public Schools (NOPS) and the Recovery School District (RSD). The Batiste Cultural Arts Academy is a K-8 charter school operated by the charter management organization ReNEW Schools that
Hurricane preparedness for New Orleans floodgate structures and raising existing levees. The report also suggested that the chances of a major Category 5 hurricane directly striking New Orleans was a one-in-500-year event. In 2001, the "Houston Chronicle" published a story which predicted that a severe hurricane striking New Orleans, "would strand 250,000 people or more, and probably kill one of 10 left behind as the city drowned under of water. Thousands of refugees could end up in Houston." In 2002, "The Times Picayune" published a feature covering various scenarios, including a Category 5 hurricane hitting the city from the south. The series also explored the