Living not too far from New Orleans, I have to dispel a few myths which are way overblown by the media.
(1) New Orleans, at least the good areas, has already been rebuilt. The areas that are still in disarray were bad areas to begin with. Ghettos. The city has chosen not to rebuild those areas. So...don't get too teary eyed when you see those pictures over and over again.
(2) The Saints will have minimal impact on the economy in New Orleans. I wouldn't say the economy is that bad to begin with. The people that want to live there already live there. Many of them returned not too long after Katrina.
(3) The rest of Louisiana absolutely hated New Orleans natives fleeing to their cities after Katrina. My city, Baton Rouge, for example, saw traffic jams for months and months after Katrina. House prices here bubbled, and then popped, crime rates were sky high, filling the pantry with groceries was even an issue for many weeks after Katrina. Katrina changed the rest of Louisiana more than it did New Orleans.
People here grew tired of New Orleans natives. They wanted them out of the city and back in New Orleans. FWIW, these are the same people that cheered for the Saints this season, and put "Who Dat" stickers all over their cars. Do they really love the city of New Orleans and the Saints that much? Hmmmmm...they sure as heck didn't want New Orleans folks in their cities just a few years earlier.
That is the reason why I have no respect for Saints fans.
