There is something I would like to ask but am afraid to because of post #1. I realize many people have friends and loved ones in the area - including our own FReeper friends.
Were any of the bridges closed down before Katrina hit? Or were they all still open and packed with people trying to leave town? Some of the pictures posted around of the "gone" Twin Span have cars in the wreckage, so I am unsure as to what happened.
Someone else will correct me if I am wrong, but I recall hearing traffic was very light in the hours immediately preceding the worst of the storm.