"I think it's really important for people to take advantage of this window of opportunity, when they're so aware of what disasters can do to families," she said. "Our family doesn't own a car, so we would really need to connect with our friends and loved ones to make a plan for evacuation if we needed to."

A double threat

Farther north, Washington state's most populous cities, Seattle and Tacoma, live under the double threat of earthquakes and active volcanoes. Two of the country's three most dangerous volcanoes, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, are in Washington: Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens. The latter erupted about 20 years ago, covering the Portland, Ore., metropolitan area in a blanket of ash. An eruption of Mount Rainier, scientists believe, could send a deadly mudflow down its slopes and could kill thousands.

"A lot of people probably question us, 'Why do you spend so much time preparing for an event that might never happen?' " said Jody Woodcock with the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management. "My response is, 'But it could happen.' "

Like the New Orleans flooding, an eruption of Mount Rainier, Woodcock said, "is something we really can't comprehend."

The last time such a mudflow — made of melted ice, dirt, rocks and debris, and called a lahar — came down Rainier was 500 years ago. It could happen again at any time, though residents would presumably have several days warning, as volcanic activity can be monitored.

If the mudflow was big enough it could reach Tacoma but probably not Seattle, where the biggest threat is an earthquake. A strong quake shook Seattle in 2001.

After Katrina, local businesses and volunteers showed an increased awareness of disaster planning and response — flooding local agencies with offers to house evacuees and help in the relief effort. Woodcock and others hope they can tap into these newly discovered resources should a disaster befall the Puget Sound region. To be sure, they will be watching what goes on in Louisiana and Mississippi.

"I think we'll learn a lot from watching the recovery process," Woodcock said, "seeing communities completely rebuild. I think emergency managers from around the world are going to be watching."

Terror targets

It is not just natural disasters for which Katrina has heightened preparations.

Officials in cities like Las Vegas look at the hurricane as a lesson for terrorism. Because of the city's economic and cultural importance, and because known terrorists have visited the city before, Las Vegas is considered a likely target of a terrorist attack.