My husband is currently at Camp Shelby (MS) doing his 3-week annual training. Since he was supposed to be home the 6th, I am hoping both Gustav and the other one fizzle out – I don’t want him stuck down there til October!
That’s closer to the coast - only 55 miles to Biloxi. Surely they’d send out-of-staters home early if a hurricane were imminent; they’d need the base for staging for our Guard, wouldn’t they?
I don’t mean this to sound too terribly insensitive, but perhaps this isn’t especially a bad thing. From what I learned watching all the post-Katrina documentaries is that the city is inherently unsound and unsafe. This type of situation seems unavoidable and certain to repeat itself. Much is said about the people living in the Mississippi flood plains along Iowa-Illinois-Missouri and I’ve often said that they simply shouldn’t keep living there as those floods are anything but uncommon or unexpected.
Perhaps a population shift to higher, firmer safer ground is prudent and, in the long run, the best solution. I understand there’s a lot of emotion and history there and it would be painful, but if the engineers can’t fix it it might be necessary.
You could say that about living anywhere in the lower Mississippi valley in 1927. 
Omniscient’s right though; it’s kind of like absinence being the only 100% effective birth control. The only way to prevent being flooded (WRT riverine flooding) is to stay out of the floodplain.
What prevents a repeat of the 1927 flood are some massive river levees (as you well know).
New Orleans’ problem is not only the flooding aspect by itself, but also the problem of subsidence. The city is only going to sink lower and lower. At some point it won’t be worthwhile to live there.
Several towns along the Mississippi-Missouri did relocate after the floods of the 90’s. There is a trend towards more of that kind of thing, and I think it’s a good idea.
only? careful of the storm surge! 
Yeah, everyone is freaking out.
But when I saw the houses-on pilings- that were NORTH of the I-10 and had been flooded by Katrina I began to think the water could go anywhere! The houses were on a river north of Bay St. Louis but still. They are at least 10 miles inland.
The official story is that Katrina’s surge pushed inland about 13 miles.
My friends in Waveland tell me that it was 17 miles, in some places.
I think I’m o.k., we’re at elevation 380 or so. 
I’m traveling to Portland, Oregon on Tuesday, connecting through Houston. What happens if the airport closes?
Damned hurricanes. Why can’t anyone figure out a way to steer them into open ocean and let them dissipate?