As the Miss-Lou holds its collective breath watching the latest hurricane, we can take comfort in weather forecasts that show the storm headed east of our area.

But that does not mean we won’t be affected by Ivan.

Our hotels and bed and breakfasts are already filled with evacuees from New Orleans and the gulf coast, and we a Red Cross shelter was welcoming storm refugees late Tuesday night.

The best things we can do are not to panic about whatever storm effects we might get &045; and to welcome the evacuees with the same open arms we greet our tourists.

It seemed that attitude was already in full force by Tuesday afternoon.

As hotels and restaurants were reaping the unexpected economic benefits, Natchez was also extending the red carpet.

Volunteers from the Red Cross were manning the shelter at the Steckler Multi-Purpose Center near Natchez High School.

The city’s convention center agreed to host residents of a New Orleans nursing home who lost their Baton Rouge hotel reservations to a higher-paying group.

At least one bed and breakfast was offering half-price rooms to hurricane evacuees.

And a local restaurant owner took the afternoon to give a tour to some New Orleans residents.

We are praying we will avoid the wrath of the storm, but if we don’t, we hope residents, local public works crews and disaster volunteers will work together to make it through a potentially dangerous situation.