In article SZWUe.1946$b37.1338@trnddc04, sfb wrote:
New Orleans is a major port exporting grain from the Midwest to the
world so they just can't walk away.


Not insignificant but hardly crucial; New Orleans ranks #14 in the top
20 U.S. Ports:

(http://www.bts.gov/publications/us_i.../table_13.html)

Still, a grain terminal could be maintained without risking a million
people.