The gator lost his mind...

One of my favorite songs as a kid (along with "They're Coming To Take Me Away (A-Ha)" was "The Battle Of New Orleans."

Jackson fought for the port in 1815, after the War of 1812 was technically over. Not only did he defeat the British, he held on to the major port of the United States and kept trade flowing.

MyDD has an excellent summary of the long-term implications of this disaster. Katrina accomplished what the British could not—the largest US port is shut down.

Depending on the effect on the Port of Southern Louisiana, the ability to ship could be affected. A narrow, two-lane highway that handles approximately 10,000 vehicles a day, is used for transport of cargo and petroleum products and provides port access for thousands of employees is threatened with closure. A closure of as long as two weeks could rapidly push gasoline prices higher. At a time when oil prices are in the mid-60-dollar range and starting to hurt, the hurricane has an obvious effect. However, it must be borne in mind that the Mississippi remains a key American shipping route, particularly for the export and import of a variety of primary commodities from grain to oil, as well as steel and rubber. Andrew Jackson fought hard to keep the British from taking New Orleans because he knew it was the main artery for U.S. trade with the world. He was right and its role has not changed since then. This is not a prediction. We do not know the path of the storm and we cannot predict its effects. It is a warning that if a Category 5 hurricane hits the Port of Southern Louisiana and causes the damage that is merely at the outer reach of the probable, the effect on the global system will be substantial.

Now, of course, Katrina was "only" a category 4 hurricane, but since New Orleans's levee system is (was) at best prepared to handle a category 3, the point is mute right now. Needless to say, the world's 5th largest port - which is a key entrepot in the incredibly stressed world energy market, to boot - has been rendered inoperative. It is anybody's guess when - if - ever it will function again, considering that conservative estimates suggest the city will be uninhabitable for at least a month and most likely longer. New Orleans as the world has known it will never exist again.

A quick summary from the Wikipedia article:

• New Orleans is covered in 20 feet of water and is under martial law
• Cities like Biloxi and Gulfport have pretty much ceased to exist
• Over 150 people are dead, that we know about, and casualties are likely in the thousands
• 35% of the Louisiana National Guard is stationed in Iraq at the moment
• Whether you're "finding" or "looting" depends on your skin color.
• Hundreds of thousands of people are now refugees; over 750,000 people are without power
• Current damage estimates are $36 billion dollars, most likely to rise

We'll be dealing with the consequences of this storm for decades. Whole towns have disappeared, one of our major grain ports is shut down right as the harvest is coming due, and both oil and natural gas prices are going to rise. At least some people got cake out of the deal.