In this hypothetical storm scenario, it is estimated that it would take nine weeks to pump the water out of the city, and only then could assessments begin to determine what buildings were habitable or salvageable. Sewer, water, and the extensive forced drainage pumping systems would be damaged. National authorities would be scrambling to build tent cities to house the hundreds of thousands of refugees unable to return to their homes and without other relocation options. In the aftermath of such a disaster, New Orleans would be dramatically different, and likely extremely diminished, from what it is today. Unlike the posthurricane development surges that have occurred in coastal beach communities, the cost of rebuilding the city of New Orleans

You have no idea what a luxury simple hot water can be, and in fact if we hadn’t been able to procure a generator to run the pump for our well we wouldn’t have had running water, period. (Not a problem you have on city water, obviously.) We were fortunate that Andrew was a fairly dry storm and we didn’t have big problems with standing water, however you can imagine that mosquitos can pose a serious issue as well as heat-related illnesses.

The reason that comparison falls so short is that New Orleans has a huge percentage of the population that lives at or below the poverty line: almost 1 in 4, according to wikipedia. If Fairfax’s residents all got tossed more than 3 in 4 would be expected to have insurance and other means to find a place to stay. I can’t even imagine what’s going to happen to the people of New Orleans.