Suspect they are much happier today, than those left behind.
Your suspicion is just that and doesn't address the self-righteous religionists assigning cause and meaning to Katrina's devastation of N.O.
If God was punishing N.O. for its sin - then Mississippi must have been just as deserving of its suffering.
Didn't Jesus castigate those who wanted to 'blame the victim' for tragedy and natural disaster?
As for an eternal perspective - wouldn't you have to be an infinite being to deal in eternal perspectives? This life is precious and the only one we living have. To cheapen human suffering and death with easy cliches is just sad.
I would wager that those drowned and dismembered in the water and wind of Katrina would have preferred to live rather than go bathing in 'Gloryland.'