In a worse case scenario, if there is wide spread flooding in New Orleans that lasts days or even a week, and if they have 40,000 people stuck in the Superdome with nowhere to go, just exactly where do they expect all the sewage to go ??
I am assuming that the sanitary sewers will be knocked out by high water. 40,000 people can't hold it forever. If sewage seeps into the water or backs up, combined with the warm weather, we could be looking at outbreaks of sickness occuring very soon.
Putting 10,000 people in one place even on a normal day causes tremendous logistical problems. I can't imagine what it would be like to have 40,000 during a disaster. Why don't they have a plan to disburse these people and get them out of the area ?
Believe it or not, they do have some plans for this scenario. Once the storms are over they can evacuate the dome by boat, if the bowl is filled. Could also bring in a pontoon bridge to get the people out to the higher roadways, levees, and other buildings while waiting to finish the post-storm evacuations. But probably won't be necessary, because the dome is already on some of the highest ground in the area, and holes could be punched through the levees to drain off some of the water. Not all of the city is below sea level.