Francine did not pose a particularly severe test of the New Orleans region's ability to handle stormwater, but the results were not reassuring.

As Hurricane Francine lashed New Orleans and the city flooded, there was an oasis of comradery — and leather — through the storm. The Phoenix Bar, just north and east of the French Quarter in the Marigny neighborhood of the Crescent City,

By Ned Randolph NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) -Hurricane Francine came ashore in southern Louisiana on Wednesday, threatening New Orleans and the wider Gulf Coast with powerful winds, rain and a storm surge that led to evacuation orders for thousands of people.