If the death count rises "into the thousands", I will stand corrected. In the meantime, and for the record: Did President Bush declare the Gulf Coast a disaster area at least 24 hours before the order came down to evacuate New Orleans? I believe this is true, and if I'm wrong on this, I hope someone will correct me pronto.
I wish I could find a definitive timeline of all official pronouncements since the day Katrina hit Florida.
This is the only link I have.
Don't know if anyone has answered you yet, but I believe the President declared LA, MS, and AL to be in federal "states of emergency." I do not believe they were referred to as disaster zones until after the event.