At 50 people per busload, we are talking 2,000 busloads in 1080 minutes. If 20 sites for boarding were established throughout the parish, this would be an average of 100 busloads per site over the course of 1080 minutes, or about 1 busload every ten minutes for the entire period of time. With lots of training and lots of practice and perfect execution, this might be possible. In reality, I agree that such a rate cannot reasonably be expected to be attained, without proper education of the public in advance as to what they would need to do, coupled with adequate equipment and flawless logistics.
They should have tried harder to get more people out of the area...even if they only got out five busloads, it would have been something.
What would have been the effect of posting the normally-incoming side of the Interstates as two-way bus (incoming empty 20+ cap; outgoing 20+ px) and emergency vehicle traffic only, and inviting bus companies in the area to send buses to come haul away people?