It's harder to evacuate, and with a city like New Orleans with limited access routes, it can't be done. By the time it's obvious that leaving is an awfully good idea, you can't. Only the ones who left before it was obvious will get out.
That, and the fact that we continue to pave more of the land means that runoff continually gets worse.
But Ivan killed a lot more people in the Caribbean last year than it did in the US. I'm guessing that Dennis will kill more people in Jamaica tomorrow than it will in the US when it will surely be a more powerful storm.
The "perfect storm" hitting any of the bays along the gulf coast, or in the case of New Orleans, shoving the lake into the city, will cause great loss of life. It's just a fact.
Well- they've given us good reason not to be in New Orleans AT ALL for 6 months of the year. If evacuation has to happen whenever a system gets into the Gulf, that could-literally- be every week! You could be home a few days then have to go again! Who can afford to do that, financially? Hotels, gas, travel costs. I can tell you for a fact you won't keep a job if you have to leave town every other week. Then- leaving so far in advance, you run the risk of having evacuated to where the storm DOES hit. We did that in Ivan. Went to northern Mobile county- to a friend's. It was the only place we had- still is. At least we didnt have to worry about the lake drowning us- but we ended up IN Ivan! ( not that impressive inland, IMO).
I have ALWAYS thought that the entire Gulf Coast should be vacation living only. NO permanent residents.
What other American city is doomed 6 months of every year? And they wonder why we have no industry and people are leaving?!
If this is all true, all building in the city and surrounding areas should stop. Citizens should be encouraged to permanently relocate, since we cannot be protected.