karma
    n : (Hinduism and Buddhism) the effects of a person's actions
         that determine his destiny in his next incarnation


Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

You are saying that the people who suffered and died the way they did in New Orleans is because of actions they took in an earlier incarnation? Do not be surprised if people find that grossly offensive, especially those who regard all of this as superstition.

If that is not what you mean, what does 'karma' mean to you in this context?