Katrina and the waves

Man, the news about Hurricane Katrina is quite devastating - 80% of New Orleans evacuated. That's the French Quarter above - deserted. Fingers crossed that its slight weakening wil save one of the world's most distinctive cities from being destroyed. Quotes like this are quite scary:
Sometimes we are all pawns to nature.The head of Jefferson Parish, which includes major suburbs and juts all the way to the storm-vulnerable coast, said some residents who stayed would be fortunate to survive.
''I'm expecting that some people who are die-hards will die hard,'' said parish council President Aaron Broussard. (AP report, on the New York Times' web page)
Comments
I think they name them after women if they're one kind and men if their another. And they go alphabetically. I think... Not sure at all... Any geology or geography or earth and planetary science majors?
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/basics/naming.shtml