In short, the floods did not have the advanced warning you suggest they had, and with repeated assurances that everything would be OK, it was not outside the realm of common sense to stay where one was and try to just live through it.

Comments look okay though.

Thanks for the dose of reality. If your ever in the Crescent City, I’d like to buy you a drink.

…and it is Orleanian

We have a Democrat governor and a Democrat majority in our state congress

No, Reynardine, you have a Democratic governor and a Democratic majority in your state congress. I’m not suggesting any intent on your part, but it would be nice if we could leave the childish GOP shibboleths out of the discussion.

Here’s a fun fact you missed. 80% of the population fled in advance of the Katrina. This aspect of the evacuation was for more successful than anyone realized. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_preparedness_for_New_Orleans and http://www.planning.org/katrina/reader/plannningmay2006.htm are useful reading.

I, also, have to wonder if the Army Corp of Engineers will come under fire like they did down here. As for those saying our levees were neglected, well you can thank the federal government for that. It seems we must fight for every dollar we get for our wetlands and barrier islands, which help diminish hurricanes. Maybe if the federal government saw the importance in giving us 100 year flood protection then it would have saved a whole lot of money in the long run. Where is Al Gore when you need him?

Also, you think your gas prices are high just think if you lose the New Orleans port. How high would items that you take for grant will go? The whole reason for the Louisiana Purchase was for the port, show a little love for a city that is unique and gives so much. At least, our mother country gaves us a little support.

Make it around my parts and the drink’s on me Darlin’.

As a Des Moines resident, let me tell you there were a number of people locally – not an overwhelming number, but not just a couple – who were still saying things to the effect of “Why would anyone build in a 100/500-year flood plain?” as they sat cozy in their houses and apartments on top of hills. People just like to feel smug.

“*Applause* You’ve got to wonder what they’re smoking when they compare Katrina and the current floods.”

Probably the same thing they were smoking when they were crowing about how all those hardy midwesteners survived a blizzard (an effin’ BLIZZARD!) without whining for government help, unlike those lazy shiftless New Orleans folk…

::sigh::

What hurts is that a lot of people up here in the Midwest were all “Well, you shouldn’t live in an area so prone to hurricanes and flooding and it should all just be bulldozed and built elsewhere.” Now that Iowa and Illinois have dealt with the heartbreak of seeing their towns underwater, they’re so damned smug about “knowing to evacuate” and showing “pride enough in the community to rebuild.”

I am a born and raised Illinoisian, but my heart belongs to New Orleans, and it’s tearing me up that anyone on either side would be jerks and hypocrites about the other’s disaster. Yes, New Orleans was far worse – and we still feel screwed and neglected and bitter sometimes about the disparity in government response – but no one should be playing the “we dealt with it better” or “it wasn’t as bad as ours” cards. BOTH disasters were horrible and it just saddens and angers me that people are using them to play politics or be smug.