Two pieces of opinion. First of all, of course you have to rebuild New Orleans. It’s right there at the mouth of the Mississippi. Something has to go there. Secondly, if nothing else this shows me the necessity of not counting on the government in case of emergency*. I need to be able to take care of me in case of catastrophic societal failure. Also, it’s probably smart to avoid large crowds in cases of emergency.
*I should point out that this is not a new revelation to me. It just hits home when you hear about it all day, for three days.
Not So Fast 
people actually think they CAN depend on the government in times of emergency? the government seems more surprised than the people who tried to ride it out.