Katrina, some background

For anything you want to know about Katrina, check out the Wikipedia entry. For example, I hadn't heard this:

The hurricane has struck just days before Southern Decadence, a festival which is the second-largest money-maker for New Orleans businesses after Mardi Gras. It is predicted that outside of the obvious costs of the direct effect of the storm, the city will lose millions of dollars in tourist monies because of the cancellation of this festival and others in coming months and years.