We finally spoke with some friends of our friends who live just north of New Orleans, in Covington, last night. Thankfully they left, but not until the last minute. These are very sharp, sophisticated people who grew up in Louisiana, moved here to Highland Park for seven years, then moved back to Covington to work in the oil business. Their explanation:
“You have to understand the Louisiana Coast mentality. We face hurricane warnings every year. It starts to sound the same. Plus, the storm never really hits us hard, it always slides off to the east or west. Most people just laugh it off, go to bar and drink. But this was different. We credit the local government and media for really driving home to everyone how dangerous this was. It took awhile, but we got the message. Unfortunately, there were three groups who stayed: those who were too old or too poor to mount an evacuation; those who are thugs and stayed behind to loot (yes, many crooks actually plan for this; and lastly, those who are just too stubborn or stupid to leave for any reason. But all this would be moot if the levees hadn’t burst. No one saw that coming.”
