[hispanarepublicana]

And do what with the 600,000 people living there?

If the jobs stay, the people stay. Otherwise, the people go where the jobs are. Who/what are New Orleans' major employers?

[PBRSTREETGANG]

Who/what are New Orleans' major employers?

New Orleans ('til Monday anyway) is the busiest port in America and the fifth busiest in the world. A good portion of their income also came from tourism and convention business which may not return (or won't return anytime soon) if much of what attracted people there has been lost.

[Nebr FAL owner]

Tourism,gambling,maritime shipping imports/exports of petroleum/crude oil agricultural products like wheat /soybeans.

[Rutles4Ever]

How many businesses can afford to be offline for four months? The businesses located in N.O. will be relocating as fast as they can get bank loans and insurance claims to pay for it. They'll set up shop in Baton Rouge, Mobile, Atlanta, wherever. But they won't be returning to N.O. That's a critical factor - if there's no job market, the people won't move back in at all.

[FBD]

I've got a feeling many businesses won't return. The refineries will probably stay, but I'll bet many businesses will move. What is their choice? They can't go back for several months.
N.O. should become just a tourism area, no residences...move the people out.

It makes no sense to spend billions to rebuild a city that has sunk to over 6 ft below sea level, surrounded by levees like a soup bowl composed of 200 ft of river silt and muck.

[randog]

Who/what are New Orleans' major employers?

I can't say with any expertise, but you have to consider that it is (was) the main seaport at the mouth of the largest river in America. The devastation will affect every business that relies on the Mississippi for commerce.