[MediaMole]

It is hard to loot in a tightly knit community. In a big city it is easier to justify taking from someone you don’t know, but it is pretty hard to take from a neighbor you see at the grocery store, the gas station and at church.

Looting also requires a mob mentality with others grabbing the stuff you can’t get to.

[massgopguy]

They’re too busy filling up sandbags.

[alecqss]

It is hard to loot in a tightly knit community. In a big city it is easier to justify taking from someone you don’t know, but it is pretty hard to take from a neighbor you see at the grocery store, the gas station and at church.

New Orleans 2000 census: 484,674 people
Cedar Rapids 2000 census:120,758 people

Ok, I give it to you that NO has 4 times larger population, but the notion that in 120+K city is "a tightly knit community" is ludicrous.

[Alter Kaker]

Maybe another factor is that people have been free to leave the affected portions of Iowa. The bridges were closed by police and residents weren't allowed to leave New Orleans. If I were imprisoned in a city, I'd probably loot too. It's not like Wal Marts were open for business -- you still need to eat during a natural disaster.