Not much can be said about the tragedy in New Orleans. I am horrified not only by the magnitude of the disaster, but also by the response of most involved parties. So much has been written already that I do not want to add much except to point out a few well done pieces.
This piece was written in February of 2000, and should be mandatory reading for anyone interested in the relief efforts.
Here are some thoughts from an economist reared in the Big Easy – which elucidates how Katrina has unmasked the pretenses of government as savior. Here are some of his follow-up thoughts. And why is Uncle Sam telling the Red Cross to stay out of New Orleans? Clearly Uncle Sam did a wonderful job in directing Army Corps funding too. And here is a long piece that might help you make some sense on how to assign blame in situations like this (or if this is even a necessary endeavor).
Tim Worstall points out another Paul Krugman inconsistency.
John Tierney tells us why we are all so much better prepared to fight damage from fire as opposed to water.
Will the US Economy suffer from this disaster? The Adam Smith Institute does not think so.
Steven Levitt comments on disaster info in the modern world and you should check out the map based wiki he discusses. I am a strong believer that the wiki concept has powerful applications in both the political and economic worlds.
Here is a discussion of how to quickly help the poorest of the hurricane victims and some thoughts on their future.