Could levees handle hurricane?: Army Corps chief: It's hard to say if New Orleans ready

NEW ORLEANS -- Despite aggressive efforts to repair the NewOrleans levee system after the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, itisn't clear yet whether it could withstand a hurricane with a heavystorm surge this year, the head of the Army Corps of Engineersconceded Saturday.

Lt. Gen. Carl Strock said the agency was carefully trackingTropical Storm Ernesto, which was in the Caribbean and projected toreach hurricane strength Tuesday. Ernesto was on a course that wouldbring it over Jamaica today, the U.S. National Hurricane Center inMiami said.

1 year after Katrina, Ernesto?

In Washington, the Homeland Security Department said Ernesto couldbe a Category 3 …