It's impossible to say exactly what the result would have been had these funds been used for work on the levees. Maybe it would have made a difference. Right now I can't understand why the breaks in the levees can't be filled more quickly. And of course right now the most important concern is the continuing humanitarian crisis that is escalating. Please do whatever you can to help - at the least donate a few bucks to the Red Cross. There will be plenty of time to assess blame (and dodge it, in the case of the Bush Administration) in months and years to come.