Thanks for the concern. What I'm not sure the national news is showing clearly is that the flooding this morning came and went within hours. That has been typical with heavy rainfall events (had 5-8 inches this morning within several hours). My street was flooded, not drivable but our cars were parked high and safe. Once the rain stops, the pumps catch up quickly and drain the streets pretty quickly.
The coming storm could also drop a lot of rain quickly and this type of street flooding could return. Again, we will park our cars high and I wouldn't expect any issues for our house given that it is raised like most homes here.
The concern is a storm surge causing the river to elevate 3-5 feet which would put the river at 19-22 feet. Many levees protect up to 25 feet but some only 20. Most of these levees are on the west bank of the river (not New Orleans) so any spill over would likely have only a minor effect for us in the city.
To answer your question, yes we are making arrangements. If the storm keeps on its path or heads any further east, we will get out of town. If things head more towards Houston we will probably stay put. I'm not opposed to sticking out flooding and potential electricity loss in town but my wife is 6 months pregnant and I can't put her through that.