[TomGuy]

the criminal stupidity of the mayor

I heard the following on a tv stream around 3 a.m.:

WDSU Channel 6 TV reporting that N.O. mayor says he cannot call for a mandatory evac due to a legal technicality. He would order it, if he could.

News commentator clarified the reason in his live report: For the area mayors/officials to be able to declare a mandatory evac, they have to have a place to put people. [Since they don't have a place to put that many people, they are prohibited from making the declaration.]

[cyborg]

Thanks for the info. If someone is waiting to get approval to leave then they're a-class dumb. Anyone with a tv or radio down there should know that this is a BAD situation.

[mware]

Damn the lawyers win either way it goes.

They will get clients one way or another.

[sonsofliberty2000]

Hope the mayor has enough grave sites to put people afterwards. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

[LibFreeOrDie]

"The Superdome is the shelter of last resort" - Mayor of NO on WWL-TV. "Even if we round up the buses, where do we send people?"

[Petronski]

Then the mayor ought to make a public declaration something like:

I can't declare a mandatory evacuation, but it is just that bad. GET OUT. Do what you can to LEAVE NOW. If I had the power to do it, I would force you to leave. GET OUT.

[Peach]

This just cannot be right. I'm not doubting your reporting, Tom, which I know is topnotch. But because of a legal technicality, they can't order an evacuation?

I find it difficult to believe that other cities that have been through this and have ordered mandatory evacuations had places to put people.

Darned lawyers -- they are ruining the country.

[Wilhelm Tell]

For the area mayors/officials to be able to declare a mandatory evac, they have to have a place to put people. [Since they don't have a place to put that many people, they are prohibited from making the declaration.]

In other words, they have had years to plan for such a disaster but they never put a plan into place. Did they think that NO is magically exempt from the threat of hurricanes? They can't declare an emergency because they never planned for an emergency...?! I can't imagine such criminal stupidity. I'll shut up now. I'm too angry to say anything constructive.