Let's try another direction, too:

This is definitely causing me to review my kits and plans here, making sure they are as realistic as possible. This isn't news to me, nor to most of us, but priorities seem to be:

• Evacuating via vehicle (with sheltering in place, evacuating on foot, evacuating via other transport as alternative possibilities), when given advance notice of a disaster
• Recovery from a disaster with no advance notice (an earthquake, a terrorist attack), starting with immediate safety and exit from danger if possible (pry bars, lights, masks, etc.), then medical treatment, then getting out of the area (to home, to an evacuation point)
• Knowing which of the above are likely in your particular area, and how the scenarios differ
• Good relationships with neighbors, friends and relatives, including plans to help each other out when evacuations are necessary
• Plans for dealing with long-term economic ramifications (savings, people you can count on, reserves of goods and items of value)
• Training of value to yourself, your family, your community (CERT, Ham skills, First Aid (e.g., I have a WFR certificate), backed up with practice

That's just a start. As most of us know, wilderness survival skills are not an exact match with everyday real-world survival skills; some of the kits we carry may need a rethinking. I think we can all get a lot from discussing what is going on here - including moving beyond the "get out of Dodge stuff" (while the precarious nature of New Orleans is an extreme example, frankly most major urban areas have some kind of natural disaster that can strike...and none are completely immune from man-made disasters such as urban unrest or terrorist actions).

How will you all adjust your thinking? How might this evolve as this story plays out?

- Steve