If you've been watching the video from New Orleans and wondering why the city wasn't better prepared, consider this intro to a five-part "special report" in the local newspaper three years ago:

It's only a matter of time before south Louisiana takes a direct hit from a major hurricane. Billions have been spent to protect us, but we grow more vulnerable every day.

The opening piece is about the likelihood of a levee break. Another piece talks about the need to evacuate, and the 100,000 people who would be left behind. Maybe they deserve a retroactive Pulitzer. Read the series. Story today in the Wall Street Journal. By the way, LAT editor Dean Baquet's brother Terry is front page editor of the Times-Picayune, and the Baquets' mother and other family members live in New Orleans. You can bet the Times reporters and editors putting together the report from there are aware of this.