This post at Powerline is extremely revealing:

Why Was New Orleans Evacuated?

“A number of our readers have been highly critical of state and local authorities in Louisiana. However, it must be acknowledged that they did one important thing that saved countless lives: they ordered the mandatory evacuation on Sunday that caused most people to leave the city. This mandatory evacuation order was a departure from past practice, when evacuations in the face of approaching hurricanes have always been voluntary.

So what prompted the order that prevented Hurricane Katrina from being a natural disaster of unprecedented magnitude?

The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.

The City of New Orleans and its residents owe the President a profound debt of gratitude.”

Last time I checked, mandatory evacuation meant get out or you’re on your own. A small percentage may have been ill or elderly and in need of assitance. The city/state should have assisted with this effort. But the vast majority of people one sees on TV in need of evacuation now are able bodies.

If the authorities didn’t have to go back into the city and conduct rescue missions they could have concentrated on evactuations from the designated shelter areas.

It’s understandable the decision that was made. They had limited people initially on hand. Do you use those limited resources in the early hours to help someone that’s already safe in a shelter, or do you go out and help someone that might drown in their attic? That’s a no brainer to me.

It’s sad to say, but New Orleans residents that didn’t evacuate are now suffering from self inflicted wounds. And they created a more difficult situation for those that did evacuate at least to a designated shelter.

If liberals/democrats are going to start the blame game , they better be prepared for lots of folks calling ‘bullshit’ on them.