Are they airlifting/ferrying supplies to the Dome now?

There's not that much flooding near the Dome right now. It's pretty much the in-city headquarters for rescue efforts so I wouldn't worry about it going untended. They've got plenty of Coast Guard helicopters over New Orleans already.

Reports coming out of the Superdome are not good. The toilets are backing up, it's ungodly hot, and it's wet inside. At some point, they're going to have to get people out of there, even.

Is it naive to think they could build refugee camps outside of the city fairly quickly and boat these people out of there?

My aunt had a house right on the bayou. She's sold it now, I think. Lovely house -- pool in the backyard, gazebo jutting out into the water. There was also an enclosed courtyard with gas lighting ... and some of the most lavish bathrooms I've ever seen. So beautiful a house, it delayed their breakup by years, because neither her nor her husband wanted to leave.

I can't help wonder about it now.

Are they airlifting/ferrying supplies to the Dome now?

They're driving stuff in. Water isn't quite that deep yet. Problem is that there are more people there than expected -- one estimate is that they have close to 60,000 people.

(I think I'm fixated on that one spot because as a child my primary association with NO was the Sugar Bowl, since that was the goal of every SEC team in those pre-BCS days.)

There may not be a Sugar Bowl this year, at least not in NOLA.

I'm wondering if the Saints are going to play all their games on the road or move their games to Baton Rouge or Jackson.

All first world issues, obviously.

what's happening now, is pretty much what was predicted had the Category 5 hitting dead on.

Cindy's right: it's just taking longer.

Meanwhile in Biloxi.... look at this picture.

what's happening now, is pretty much what was predicted had the Category 5 hitting dead on.

Yup.

It's interesting that there was all this talk about the levees overtopping, but no one talked about the levees breaching, which in retrospect was far more likely to happen.

THWAP

Duh! I know how to get people out of the Superdome! There's a cruise ship dock about half a mile away.

There may not be a Sugar Bowl this year, at least not in NOLA

That's what I was thinking.

I've been plot-bunnied with an idea for a NOLA story, a historical because that's what I do, which led to an idea of how cool it would be to have a variety of writers put together a NOLA anthology or series of books with the proceeds to benefit whatever long-term relief efforts develop (I say long-term because I don't know about anyone else, but I sure don't write fast--I'd have to do some research to even know if my idea is halfway plausible).

I'm starting think that what would have been worse is that it would have been happening more quickly and violently, and that would have probably resulted in a greater loss of life. But where the city (rather than the population) is concerned, what's happening now, is pretty much what was predicted had the Category 5 hitting dead on.

Yeah, this is a good point. Though the French Quarter came through it better, didn't it? Or is it flooding too now?