[AuH2ORepublican]

"I understand that 80% of the people followed the order to evacuate. That means that there were 250,000 to 300,000 people who were left in New Orleans"

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That would mean that the total population (including both those who evacuated and those who stayed) is between 1,250,000 and 1,5000,000. I assume he's talking about the NO Metro area, not the city itself., since Orleans Parish has only 469,000 residents according to the 2000 Census.

I pray to God that there were far less than 300,000 who did not evacuate, and that far less than 1/3 of them drowned.

[meyer]

Please don't forget that these are tourist areas, and the number of people present could exceed the population figures by a great deal. I'm sure that many, many people evacuated from the coastal areas, but many also chose to stay based on whatever security they felt based on past events.