It’s not uncommon in my area of NC either. However, the contrast between the Texans’ attitudes and that of the NO folks is stark.
The weather and environment in Texas is in fact actively trying to kill the inhabitants. There’s no point in hiding it from the people that live there, so you teach everyone about it and let them know that if something goes wrong that they will be on their own. Heck, just having a flat tire in West Texas can be a life-threatening incident. In the summer, you can be dead within 30 minutes of getting out of the car, if you are not prepared.
New Orleans is what happens when you make everyone depend on the government for everything and try to isolate them from cold hard reality that’s out there. Well, it’s also what happens when you’re stupid enough to build in a below sea-level bowl.