It's already been pointed out that Louisiana law provides for these disasters when it's not looting when you acquire material needed to sustain life.
One does hope the trigger happy crowd holds their fire until they consult with an attorney.
Oh, yes, someone noted somewhere that it was CNN saying "most of the looters are taking hardgoods" ~ or something like that.
The lesson is DON'T TRUST CNN. Doesn't mean there aren't some bad guys out there, but CNN is among them.
People in crisis situations will display the full range of human potential they had before the crisis. The full range.