Yeechang Lee wrote:

Correct. Remember all the articles from late Monday about people
rejoicing at how the historic portions of the French Quarter,
especially, were relatively undamaged?

No tales of French glee over that. I hear that the United States'
oldest ally were stupified by the degree of damage. And I have no doubt
they too are answering the call for help just like they did 200 years
ago.

Katrina was bad for New Orleans, yes, but nothing unfamiliar to folks
who survived Andrew in 1992 (which literally wiped Homestead FL and
its Air Base from the face of the earth) or Ivan just last year, and
certainly nothing as bad as what Gulfport or Biloxi MS (also nearly
wiped clean) saw from it.

It was the totally-unexpected levee breakings on Tuesday that
turned a familiar post-hurricane cleaup story into an unprecedented
national disaster.

I was thinking that New Orleans measures up to New York, San Francisco
and Los Angeles as a major port. So I would have said that it hit a
quarter of the economy.

But there are 5 major ports concerned; from Mobile to Houston. Along
with that is the oilfield damage and some of the worlds greatest
shipping lines.

The Mississippi and the railroad that runs alongside it serves the
midwest as far as Chicago. If I remember the words of the song, that's
500 miles of economic disruption.

What would it have cost to take over the running of the various flood
control centres and run them properly? (Not counting pest control to
remove apes from the Nit House.)

OT
Ergonomically speaking; how long must that Con, Rice have been packing
emergency supplies? I imagine that she would have had a terrible leg
and back problem if she spent more than a few minutes striking that
pose for the cameras.