BETSY / Katrina's predecessor

U.S. Highway 90 in Biloxi went under several feet of water as powerful Hurricane Betsy slammed into the mainland in this Sept. 10, 1965 file photo in Miss. At left in the background, a national guard truck makes its way through the water. New Orleans has not taken a major direct hit from a hurricane since Betsy in 1965, when an 8- to 10-foot storm surge submerged parts of the city in seven feet of water. Betsy, a Category 3 storm, was blamed for 74 deaths in Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida. Monstrous Hurricane Katrina barreled toward the Big Easy on Sunday, Aug. 28, 2005 with 165-mph wind and a threat of a 28-foot storm surge, forcing a mandatory evacuation, a last-ditch Superdome shelter and prayers for those left to face the doomsday scenario this below-sea-level city has long dreaded. (AP Photo/FILE)