Simply because the media didn't show it to you, doesn't mean it was not happening. You need to remember that roads had to be cleared. Trucks, buses and other vehicles had to be driven from locations many miles away. Everything had to be staged and directed. The logistics are mindboggling.
Last year, with Hurricane Ivan approaching New Orleans, the estimate for evactuations, etc., if the city flooded was 10 days, at best.
Unfortunately, I can't remember his name, but I saw one National Guard commander on Fox News who said that coordinating the logistics of getting all of the personnel and supplies into the area is no more difficult than "the last time you invited 20,000 people to dinner." ;)
Sounds to me like the feds tried to help them plan the dinner party, but they refused the help.
Wouldn't the gov's approval of the proposed Friday plan (that she compared to martial law) have saved the state money, too?
I can't help but wonder if by doing it alone that she was maybe hoping that she'd become some sort of Guiliano-style hero (heroine) and it backfired.