Dang, lost a long post.
To summarize:
Scrooge, I'm glad your friend's ok - that has to have been scary (all of it).
I DO hope the 'doze the 'dome, but I doubt if they do (not sure I want to look at it when I get back to the office, but also not sure I want to look at a leveled site, either.
Emergency prep for animals - put proof of vaccinations with your house insurance papers (I almost had to get Jaxie re-vaccinated to be able to board him when I go check on my place) - also don't forget their food, containers for feeding, and litter arrangements.
Have a back up plan to calling people on their cell phones to make sure 'everyone' is ok - the cell phones with New Orleans numbers are ok outside the city to make calls, but I can't receive calls because incoming calls are routed through New Orleans (why they don't reroute them, I'm not sure...)
If you live where ash fallout from a volcano may be an issue, include surgical masks for the people and nylons to use as a pre-filter on the car air filter.
Oh, and if you want to listen to Mayor Nagin's 'no more press conferences' interview, this link
http://kiro.liquidviewer.net/kiro-od/sullivan4sept2.asf, supposedly has it (and KIRO is a Seattle news outlet!)