You can't protect everyone in your family, all the time, under all conditions. Take care of the ones you've got with you. Keep a list of out-of-area friends and relatives in other parts of the country with you when you travel. Ask if you could park there and put up your tent.

Going back to ground zero to find people is likely to be a big waste of time. All the gasoline, water and food you've got with you is probably all you're going to get. What do you intend to do when you run out?

From what I heard, all the roads to NOLA were blocked off. Even rescue people with good intentions couldn't get in. Are you planning on playing Big Man with that 19-yr-old National Guardsman with a rifle?

And where would you expect to find them, in a rocking chair on their front porch? Finding them could be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

They could be dead.
They could have evacuated.
They could have just moved to higher ground or one of many emergency shelters.
They could have gone to relatives/friends out of the immediate danger area.

If you have made plans for contacting members of your family in the event of a disaster, it seems that it would be better to wait for contact, then decide what to do. You could probably pay for bus/train/air fare from your end if they are without funds.

I usually take more stuff with me than I am likely to need. But if I do need it, I'm going to need it NOW.

Sue