Every storm there are people who say in the hours immediately following that it wasn't as bad as forecast. A storm like this, it's probably going to take a good 12-24 hours before the real damage reports start coming in. The storm surge alone sounds like it has been extremely severe. Most reporting stations have been knocked out, so we don't know for sure what top winds are. Andrew was classified a cat4 when it came in... similar wind speeds to Katrina at landfall... it was only upgraded to a cat5 after tha fact. Katrina had lower pressure at landfall than Andrew, and the few reports coming out... it's going to be VERY bad when all is said and done.
Wise words, my FRiend. While virtually all eyes are focused on NOLA, this very large storm is causing damage across a wide path. For example, reports from Mobile AL have been few, and sketchy.