This makes 9/11 look like a fender > bender by comparison. ck: Damn, you're good with facile comparisons! But of course you're neglecting to factor in the simple reality that while in the throes of a desperate situation, the victims really don't know what they're facing. On 9/11, initially (and later, too), many thought the attack on the WTC was just the first in a series, possibly close together. More attacks--all over the US--seemed imminent. And the aftershocks of grief, with thousands of people suddenly dead--missing, perhaps worse? But I'm also thinking about NYer behavior during its many blackouts. Looting is famously minimal. However, I came to praise New York, not revile the South. Back to the hot-weather explanation. Now, I've lived in plenty of hot climates--central Texas, Jackson and Oxford, Mississippi, Fresno, and New Orleans. Only in New Orleans did I pass out from heat exhaustion. The humidity is unbelievable. I wonder how much aggressive, nutsy behavior is directly due to the lack of drinking water (dehydration can alter mental functioning) along with FEMA's utter lack of planning. FEMA, btw, seems to have few if any sensible plans for *any* disasters in *any* city. For instance, in case of any emergency (nuclear war, floods, whatever) in Austin, Texas, FEMA's plan is to evacuate the entire city north via Hwy 183, which was a notoriously slow, pot-holed, two-lane road that inspired the bumper sticker, "Pray for me, I drive 183." Roads surrounding New Orleans make Hwy 183 in Texas look like a better-kempt Autobahn. Carol ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html