Much of the French Quarter survived with little damage. One bar is even still open - the subject of this article.

Key quote, to me: "While it may seem, at first appearance, that all of New Orleans is either under water or ruinously trashed — palms and cypress trees uprooted, brick buildings crumbled, power lines downed — there are areas of the city that have survived with minimal structural damage. The French Quarter, or the vieux carré, must have been watched over by the gods and goddesses of Bacchanalia, who would not allow such an elegant and historical district — a place devoted to pleasure — to be wiped off the face of the earth."

Take that, Repent America, and everyone else who says it was a punishment for New Orleans' immorality - the heart of Mardi Gras hedonism is still standing.