NEW ORLEANS, La. (USA) — Why not... In the last 40 days and 40 nights, we've reported on wet dogs in Austria, China, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Russia, Thailand and Venezuela.  Now it looks like the world's floods have finally come to an end, but not without one last hurrah from the USA.

And a "hurrah" it was for some.  With a sigh of relief, many Gulf Coast residents will remember Tropical Storm Isidore as the hurricane that wasn't.

"Izzy", whose windpower was 9 mph shy of hurricane strength when she hit the Louisiana coast, did indeed cause substantial flooding and a little bit of mayhem, but there were no deaths and no injuries attributed to the vast cyclone, reports the Times-Picayune.

Don't worry, be sloppy.
In New Orleans, tourists fled, streets were closed and some businesses and homes suffered damage ...but school was out!  Children and dogs played to their hearts' content. Here on Canal Blvd., Sep. 24, one young lady dances with dogs at a flooded railroad underpass.  On Argonne Blvd., kids hunted for whirlpools, paddled skiffs and reportedly found 3 goldfish swimming gently down the street.  Life is but a dream. (Photo: Bill Haber / AP)

"Thanks for the ride, but we like the exercise."
In Houma, 60 miles southwest of New Orleans, Isidore brought heavy rains, forcing som residents and their dogs to seek higher ground.  (Photo: Sep. 26, 2002, David J. Phillip / AP)

Free boat rides for wet folks.
Chris Calandro and his dog "Baby" are ferried from their flooded home by a member of the Slidell Fire Department, Sep. 25, 2002.  Mr. Calandro's cat "T-Bird" watches from inside the cage.  Cats were generally not as enthused about the state-wide "pool party" this week. (Photo: Stephan Savoia / AP)

"This was a terrific practice session." — Terry Tullier,
New Orleans interim director of emergency preparedness