Here comes Hurricane Ivan!

New Orleans is straining to cope with the imminent arrival of Hurricane Ivan. City officials are strenuously urging people to leave the city, even as local TV stations carry images of gridlocked highways. No point in blaming the State Police for the congestion; that will come later.

People, like me, who were old enough to remember when the eye of Hurricane Betsy passed over the city on September 9, 1965, have confidence that we can weather the storm. I'm staying put, mindful of the words of Aaron Broussard, a local city official who, at a recent TV conference, uttered this poignant observation: "We don't know if we are going to get punched in the mouth or kicked in the knees, but either way it's going to hurt."

That's not quite as good as the quote from Mayor Vic Schiro, who was mayor during Hurricane Betsy and blurted out the following gem: "Don't believe any false rumors unless they come from me."