From ABC/International's David Wright, there is this from September 17th:
Netherlands Toughened Dams, Levees After Deadly 1953 Storm
Some super-pertinent points made in the article:
"Dutch law now requires that coastal defenses protect against the worst storm imaginable..."
"The Dutch system is at least 50 times stronger than the coastal defenses surrounding New Orleans.
"To the Dutch standards, New Orleans was not very well-protected..."
See the article at
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/HurricaneKatrina/story?id=1131764&page=1
Other bits mentioned:
"Half of the Netherlands sits below sea level, so the tragedy in New Orleans hits home with the Dutch.
They have been through it themselves: In 1953, a huge flood in the Netherlands killed nearly 2,000 people and left 70,000 homeless."
"...the hydraulic sea wall that is considered the crown jewel of the system would protect the country against all but a biblical flood. The dam is constructed in a way that protects the region's wetlands, environmentally-sensitive areas that serve as natural storm buffers.
"Without those, Holland will just disappear," Sluiter said. "So, it has to be a Dutch discipline, hydraulic engineering."
"But Dutch engineers admit it took the disaster of 1953 to focus their country's attention. Perhaps, they say, Katrina will be America's wake-up call.
"You can turn this flooding into something positive, [so] that people will now be willing to spend the money that is needed to prevent this next time," de Vriend said.
In Holland's experience, it will cost a fortune, but it's a bargain compared to the cost of another flood."