[BJungNan]

Why did Mayor Ray Nagin wait so long. This has been talked about on FR since Wednesday. Perhaps that was too early to call for an evac...but waiting until 12 hours before the eye makes land!

[HitmanLV]

The local authorities in NO dropped the ball.

[BJungNan]

This is not long after the time he said, hey, maybe we should all evacuate.

[the invisib1e hand]

whoa, that's a powerful storm.

[Lokibob]

Where have you been? The mayor, the governer, and emergency managemant called for evacuations starting yesterday morning. That is hardly 12 hours before landing.

[lexington minuteman 1775]

He's a democrat. That explains it!

[SkyPilot]

Mayor Ray Nagin (D)

Gov. Kathleen Blanco (D)

[proudofthesouth]

Maybe this is a stupid suggestion but why didn't he utilize the city's buses to bus the tourists who had tickets but couldn't get a flight out to other cities (Meridian, MS, Birmingham, AL, Montgomery, AL, Memphis, Nashville, even Atlanta) so they could get flights home? It would have lessened the number of people stranded in the city.

[PaulaB]

I really think he thought

it would turn...but my question

is...when you see thats its not...

tell your people to go!!!!

I feel state and local government

rely to heavily on the federal...we elect

you people to make quick decisions without

our Pres and others holding your hand!!!

[coconutt2000]

I wonder what the media would be saying if Mayor Nagin had been a Republican...

[Casekirchen]

Hope that all in New Orleans came through this ok.

But the place does need a bath.



Effects of the storm -- any hydrolic engineers out there who can comment on whether or not this storm will re-route the Mississippi down the Atchafalaya \ Old River? According a documentary that I saw recently, the only reason that the Mississippi still runs through New Orleans is that the Corps of Engrs has been preventing flow since the 1950s from going down the shorter path of the Atchafalaya.

[JoJo Gunn]

"This is a once in a lifetime event," Mayor Ray Nagin said.

Not the best choice of words....

[joesnuffy]

Wait till the floods from the rains further up river come down to meet the storm surge..

The heavy rain will be inland for a while before the eye makes land..

And then there is also tornados...

[ConorMacNessa]

A once in a lifetime event that could happen again in two weeks.

[Road Warrior ‘04]

Why did Mayor Ray Nagin wait so long.

Without reading any of the posts so far, here is the answer as it was stated on Foxnews early this morning. I was absolutely flabbergasted by the reason! Here it is: The mayor of New Orleans does not or did not have the power to demand the emergency and immediate evacuation. It had to come from a higher power. I guess it had to come from the governor. What idiocy! Pray for the folks in New Orleans and the gulf coast states.

[kennedy]

Before opening the inbound expressway lanes for outbound traffic, why didn't they use the lanes to bus people out? If they had used every city bus and school bus in New Orleans they could have moved a hellofalot of people in a short amount of time.

I realize that most people with cars would rather evacuate with their own cars packed with their belongings (even if it means being stuck for 12 hours in a 5 mph traffic jam), but there are thousands of people (including tourists) that are now trapped in New Orleans with no way to get out.

[ErnBatavia]

Perhaps that was too early to call for an evac...but waiting until 12 hours before the eye makes land!

Actually 24 hours (he did so around 5am your/my Coachella Valley time).

Speaking of city politics and bumbling politicians....Desert Hot Springs is making the Sun's headlines on just about a daily basis. You live in quite the hot spot!

[Blzbba]

"Why did Mayor Ray Nagin wait so long."



For the same reason the mayor in Jaws didn't want to shut down Amity Beach after the first shark attack...