(CNN) New Orleans woke up with an uneasy sense of déjà vu Tuesday as it kept a wary eye on Tropical Storm Harvey while marking the 12th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Katrina made landfall in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on August 29, 2005, but its aftermath became the truly historic catastrophe. Federal levees and floodwalls crumbled, ushering powerful storm surge into the city and leaving 80 percent of New Orleans underwater for weeks. More than 1,500 people were killed and 200,000 properties were damaged.

Now, Louisiana is reviewing lessons learned from the deadly storm, as Harvey's outer bands could douse the state over the coming days, Gov. John Bel Edwards said.

Harvey is expected to make landfall Tuesday night or Wednesday morning along the Louisiana-Texas border, said Andy Patrick, National Weather Service meteorologist-in-charge at the Lake Charles Weather Forecast Office. It will bring winds of 30-40 mph and a 2-4 foot storm surge.

Already, 500 people were rescued overnight Monday amid flooding in and around Lake Charles, in western Louisiana, the governor said.

"The Katrina situation is one that ever since then, we know how to deal with rain, we know how to deal with floods," Edwards told CNN's Chris Cuomo Tuesday. "We've got a lot of experienced people. We've got the right equipment."

"One of the things we're trying to do is be the best neighbor possible to Texas, because they were very gracious and hospitable. They took in a lot of people after Katrina, if you remember," Edwards said. "And they remain the center of gravity as it relates to Harvey. ... So we are trying to focus on preparing for and responding to the storm here in Louisiana, but also trying to help our neighbor in Texas."

New Orleans under flash-flood watch

Devastation from Harvey looks "frighteningly familiar" to his city after Katrina, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said. In Houston alone, more than 3,500 people have been rescued from flooding , and many more are believed to be in need of help as the rain keeps pouring.

Public facilities and schools in New Orleans were closed Tuesday, but Landrieu said schools will reopen on Wednesday in the city.

He said 3-4 inches of rain have fallen so far around the city, with some isolated areas receiving up to five inches.

New Orleans is under a flash-flood watch and could see localized flooding, with 4 to 8 inches of rain predicted through Thursday, CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward said.

"If all goes well, we won't see catastrophic flooding like in Houston," Ward said. "We'll only see minor flooding."

Because of the "uncertainty of the warnings that we have had with the flash floods, with the potential rain bands and our diminished capacity, the better part of wisdom is for everybody to stay home and to protect life and property," Landrieu said.

13 drainage pump remain offline

The forecast comes as New Orleans' drainage system is at a diminished capacity following recent pumping failures

Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Downtown Houston is seen behind the flooded Buffalo Bayou a few days after Hurricane Harvey came ashore in August 2017. The Category 4 storm caused historic flooding. It set a record for the most rainfall from a tropical cyclone in the continental United States, with 51 inches of rain recorded in areas of Texas. An estimated 27 trillion gallons of water fell over Texas and Louisiana during a six-day period. Hide Caption 1 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas NASA astronaut Jack Fischer photographed Hurricane Harvey from the International Space Station. Hide Caption 2 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Steve Culver comforts his dog Otis in the hurricane aftermath. Harvey destroyed most of his home in Rockport while he and his wife were there. Hide Caption 3 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Houston police officer Daryl Hudeck carries Catherine Pham and her 13-month-old son, Aiden, after rescuing them from floodwaters. Hide Caption 4 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A damaged home is seen in the Key Allegro neighborhood of Rockport. Hide Caption 5 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A car is submerged by floodwaters on a freeway near downtown Houston. Hide Caption 6 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Melani Zurawski cries while inspecting her home in Port Aransas, Texas. Hide Caption 7 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas A graveyard is flooded in Pearland, Texas. Hide Caption 8 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Soldiers with the National Guard patrol Rockport, looking for residents trapped in their homes. Hide Caption 9 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Evacuees are loaded onto a truck in Houston. Hide Caption 10 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People push a stalled pickup through a flooded street in Houston. Hide Caption 11 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Rockport residents return to their destroyed home. Hide Caption 12 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Rescue boats fill Tidwell Road in Houston as they help flood victims evacuate the area. Hide Caption 13 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas People wait to be rescued from their flooded home in Houston. Hide Caption 14 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Volunteers in Dallas organize items donated for hurricane victims. Hide Caption 15 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas When Harvey slammed the Texas coast and flooded much of Houston, volunteers sprang into action. Some came from as far away as the Florida Everglades, boats in tow, ready to rescue people trapped in their homes. Hide Caption 16 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Larry Koser Jr. and his son Matthew look for important papers and heirlooms inside a flooded home in Houston. Hide Caption 17 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Members of the National Guard rest at a furniture store in Richmond, Texas. Hide Caption 18 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Volunteer rescue workers help a woman from her flooded home in Port Arthur, Texas. Hide Caption 19 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas This aerial photo shows flooded residential neighborhoods in Houston. Hide Caption 20 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas Tammy Dominguez and her husband, Christopher, sleep on cots at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where thousands of people were taking shelter in Houston. Hide Caption 21 of 22 Photos: Hurricane Harvey slams Texas An elderly patient waits to be rescued from the Gulf Health Care Center in Port Arthur. The facility was evacuated with the help of first responders and volunteers. Hide Caption 22 of 22

Because of New Orleans' unusual topography -- with many areas below sea level -- it takes about 100 pumps spread across every neighborhood to suck water out of storm drains and canals and push it into a nearby lake or other water bodies. The pumps vary in size and capacity; some are as big as a garage and more than a century old.

Weeks ago, strong storms overwhelmed the city's unique drainage system, causing flooding at several hundred properties and exposing critical deficiencies among 100 large pumps that drain many neighborhoods. Days later, a key turbine that helps generate an uncommon frequency of electricity needed to run the city's oldest, most powerful pumps caught fire, leaving one of five turbines working.

The turbine was quickly fixed. And of the city's 120 drainage pumps, 107 were in service early Tuesday, according to the most recent records posted online by the city-owned Sewerage & Water Board

The city's fire department has given out 35,800 sandbags to residents, Landrieu said.

President Trump could be Louisiana-bound

Harvey barreled ashore late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane, first walloping the Texas coast, including the cities of Rockport and Galveston. It weakened significantly but moved back out over the Gulf, where it's expected to gather moisture before making landfall again late Tuesday or early Wednesday near the Texas-Louisiana border.

President Donald Trump on Monday approved Edwards' request for an emergency declaration, which states that Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson Davis and Vermilion parishes are likely to face the brunt of Harvey's wind and rain.

The President, who flew in to Texas Tuesday, said earlier he may head to Louisiana on Saturday.

"To the people of Texas and Louisiana, we are 100% with you," Trump said from the East Room of the White House.