And this is part of the misleading impression the media has created. No, Lake Charles wasn't dealt a death blow -- but other places were. Was Lake Charles ground zero? No. Coastal towns like Cameron and Holly Beach were ground zero. Cities like Lake Charles and Beaumont were just outside ground zero.
The loss of tiny places like Cameron and Holly Beach, bad as it is, will not ruin the economy of the state, as the loss of New Orleans will. Unlike Katrina, Rita did not completely REMOVE one of Louisiana's major population centers. And, most importantly, Rita will in the end have claimed far, far, FAR fewer lives than Katrina did. (So far there have been NO reported deaths in La.)
There simply is no comparison between Katrina and Rita. Katrina was a once-in-a-lifetime event; Rita was just a hurricane.
-Dan
I guess the people in small towns aren't as important as big important cities. I feel for the people who are going to have to rebuild their lives and be told to suck it up. Who do you think you are, New Awlins?! These people are suffering just as bad as the poor in NO. There just aren't as many of them and they aren't as helpless and vocal.