If you want historical storm information, the NHC puts out good reports with the data on all storms since 1958. The one for Katrina can be found here. You can also look through the forecast and advisory archives, for Katrina here , note the link to the Graphics Archives at the top of the page.

I live ~ 60 miles south of Houston. School started today. We are watching, plans at the ready if needed, but nobody is expecting to be doing anything. The petroc-chem / oil industry here along the coast starts preps anytime there is a storm in the GoM, regardless of forecast. About the only sure action thus from our side of the line is that evacuation of all offshore rigs has already been done. Action here has been about the same as it was for Katrina (alert only). We ran like ... uh ... heck from Rita a few weeks later, the next and last was Ike.