In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused widespread damage in the states of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Communications and the transport infrastructure have been badly affected. All airports in the region are closed. There have been a number of casualties. Please visit http://www.fema.gov/ for further advice on how to deal with the aftermath of hurricanes. You should check news reports regularly and keep in touch with your local travel agent about how this might affect your travel plans.