Bermudians and long-time Bermuda residents like to think that they know everything there is to know about hurricanes.

And they also like to think that the Island is sufficiently well built and to a sufficient standard that the Island would survive even the worst hurricane.

Hurricane Katrina is a timely reminder that that's not necessarily the case.

The initial relief that Katrina did not pass directly over New Orleans is now being replaced with a recognition that this may be worse than anyone thought, not solely for the Crescent City, but for Biloxi and Gulf port, the cities to the east of New Orleans that took the brunt of the storm.

New Orleans' city fathers have long warned and worried about the city taking a direct hit from a hurricane, given the fact that most of it is built below sea level, and essentially in a swamp.

That means that the storm surge from a hurricane is a worse threat than the winds. What's happened since the storm passed, with pumps failing and the levees deteriorating, is worse. A former mayor said New Orleans may go the way of Pompeii. Atlantis seems more apt.

Bermuda, of course, is not built below sea level. And building standards, for the most part, are better than they are in either the US or the Caribbean.

But no one can say with any certainty how the Island would withstand a category four or five hurricane coming directly over the Island or worse, becoming stationery and pounding the Island for some time.

And if Bermuda is not at sea level, much of the Island isn't much above it. Some years ago, a map was produced showing the areas of the Island at risk from storm surge, and there are property owners, especially on the South Shore in Devonshire and parts of Paget, who can directly attest to the damage that can be done.

It's also worth noting that one reason the severity of Katrina was not immediately clear was because of the almost total collapse of telecommunications and electricity supplies in the region.

With no way to get information out, it took some 24 hours for people outside to realise just how bad it was. The "14/7" Belco blackout this summer was a reminder of how dependent we are on an electrical supply and how quickly phones, computers food supplies and the like can be lost.

Given the near-riots that occurred at gas stations when power out was for a matter of hours, no one should be surprised that the thoughts of people who chose to (or had no choice but to) ride out the storm in New Orleans soon turned to looting.

So there is no room for complacency, and Bermuda needs to take another look at its storm preparations in the wake of the lessons from Katrina.