Yes, Mississippi had more immediate damage. The very lifeblood of that state consists of gambling money, and all the coastal casinos were damaged/destroyed. It's horrendous. Hopefully the casino powers that be will rebuild. We are betting that the state allows on-land casinos after this; those beachfront ones were always in danger of just this.

But the tide does recede on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; New Orleans' effort to plug the breech in the levee has failed and the city is flooding. Since it sits below sea level, all the cemeteries consist of above ground vaults. The water main was severed, they have no potable water. There is so much contamination, the whole city is under water to an extent, and disease is going to be rampant. There is looting, and people are shooting each other.

I've been there where that destruction is and where that flooding is happening. It's heart-rending. Venice (in one of the pictures Marc linked to) is where Mark has fished so many times with his friends.

As far as evacuation, there are so few main arteries in and out of those cities. And Katrina jogged almost at the last minute; she was supposed to go inland in the Florida Panhandle.