Corps: 2011 Goal For New Orleans Will Be Met

BELLE CHASSE, La. (AP) — The Army Corps of Engineers says it will meet a deadline it gave itself after Hurricane Katrina to greatly improve the New Orleans area's hurricane protection system by the start of the 2011 hurricane season.

On Tuesday, Army Corps brass said the agency was on track to meet the June 1 deadline to have New Orleans ready for a major hurricane, one the corps calculates has a 1 percent chance of occurring each year, also known as a 100-year storm.

Reaching 100-year status is important for the region because it will help New Orleans meet minimum standards for flood insurance coverage.