Nearly everyone with two nickles to rub together has gotten out of town. You are now left with the pooorest of the poor, who couldn't scrape together busfare. I imagine that there will be a lot of looting in the Uptown area when electricity is gone and their security systems are off.
Unfortunately, the last time NO was in the path of a major 'cane, they did open the Superdome, only to have it totally trashed, with people shown on tv walking out with chairs, tv's, etc. That part of the NO population is definitely 3rd World. So, the mayor and authorities are reluctant to opening it as a shelter, but I think they will have no choice.
Heh. People shouldn't be surprised why the mayor is hesitant then.