"On the other hand, the city cannot just "not exist" for years in order to rebuild correctly.... or can it. "

They may have too. There is going to be so much rebuilding it's gonna take years and years. I heard today something that really irked me. Many police officers turned in their badges and said they lost everything and they are leaving. It's not worth it to say and risk their lives. I disagree with that. They signed an oath. I know it's tough, but for gods sake everyone else lost everything too. So many people are going to be blamed. I'm coming to the conclusion that it's Katrina's fault. It was so diffucult to get in there in a timely fashion. Even with all the preparation in the world this would have been a horrible mess.