The surge from Hurricane Rita almost three years ago filled much of Lafitte, showing the weaknesses of the West Bank's storm protection system.

“Lafitte, Grand Isle and the east side of the Harvey Canal are our most vulnerable areas, but nowhere in the West Bank should be considered a protected area in a Category 3 or greater storm,” said Deano Banano, director Jefferson Parish Emergency Preparedness.

The threat is even greater if a storm passes west of Jefferson Parish.

“It would impact the West Bank of Jefferson Parish much greater than the east bank, especially from a storm surge perspective.

That is because when a storm passes to the west southerly winds will push water north from Barataria Bay to the West Bank, which still has miles of low levees and floodwalls still under construction.

When the Army Corps of Engineers released its risk and reliability report last year, those Corps maps showed that the entire West Bank’s flood protection did not improve at all since before Katrina.  Thursday, Jefferson Parish officials say that protection has improved some, but more than likely not enough to handle a Category 3 hurricane.

“I don't want to give folks the impression they have optimum protection.  The protection is better, stronger, more resilient, but it's not where it needs to be,” said Al Naomi, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers.

Of the West Bank's 66 miles of levees and floodwalls, the Corps says about half have been upgraded or are currently being worked on, like a stretch near Lake Catawatche. But until all of the levees are raised, the West Bank is not fully protected.

“If it's low in one part of the West Bank and high in another, it doesn't fully protect you because if the low area breaks, water is going to flow throughout the West Bank -- there's nothing to stop it,” said Banano.

One low spot is along the east side of the Harvey Canal.  Low levees there continue to be one of the parish's top concerns.  The Corps did install floodgates at Lapalco Boulevard, but south of that spot the Corps has not completed 20 foot floodwalls. The only protection now are levees that were 3 to 5 feet before Katrina but have now been raised to anywhere between 6 and 9 feet.

“They should hold 6 feet, but obviously, the closer a storm is to us and bigger it is...the greater potential for a larger storm surge,” said Banano.