What a hurricane year. Jeez.

And then there's this:

Walter Maestri, an emergency manager in New Orleans, America's most vulnerable metropolitan area, has 10,000 body bags ready in case a major hurricane hits. As Hurricane Ivan's expected path shifted uncomfortably close to the low-lying urban soup bowl, Maestri said Tuesday he might need a lot more.

If a strong Category 4 storm such as Ivan made a direct hit, he warned, 50,000 people could drown, and the city could cease to exist.

"This could be The One," Maestri said. "You're talking about the potential loss of a major metropolitan area."

Whoa.

...more here:

Residents began following his advice Tuesday afternoon, with bumper-to-bumper traffic lining the causeway over Lake Pontchartrain to the north. If people can't get out of New Orleans, Nagin said, they should do a "vertical evacuation."

"Basically, go to hotels and high-rise buildings in the city," he explained.

Double whoa.