From today's SP Times:

Well I'd be living on an island in a cat 5

You wouldnt be living on a Island for too long. Next day things would almost be back to normal (water level). We have discussed this in and out at work and what people forget is that we are ABOVE sea level. Low lying roads and areas would still have a few feet in them. Look for a Topo Graph Map and  just look at the ribbons. As long as you house is not in a depression you "should" be fine. Hurricane Andrew was a Cat 4/5 and most of the damage was wind and flash flooding along the coast.

Maybe it is just me but I feel that New Orleans was not prepared. I think some of them woke up in the middle of the hurricane. I have yet to see one window boarded up. No one talks about getting ready for the storm or about the hours spent in at home depot. I dont know about you all but if I lived 10ft below sea level, in a stick home, with a cat 5 coming towards me I would not be thinking I will ride it out. Oyeah lotters would be fair hunting as far as I am concernd

I'd be in one of those wet spots on the top right.

But - my house is 2 1/2 ft above ground level on fill, there's been a huge amount of construction and road building, etc..  Be "interesting" to see what'd happen.  

Obviously, we're not in a death bowl like NOLA, but the sights from Biloxi and Gulfport are pretty damn scary.  A 25ft surge that comes in and out would likely scrub clean any of the areas on the pic above that are blue.

I'm in Largo, but we'd be stuck if we tried to drive north because all the dozens of little bridges on 19, alt19 and all the other N/S roads would be down or damaged even after the water retreats.  Welcome to Pinellas Island.

BTW- I can't figure out why they didn't shade out all the barrier islands.  They sure as hell are the first to go.  We'd have a lot more passes to the Gulf after a "Katrina".

instant waterfront property.