[oceanview]

it is a waste. we need them there, and more, to begin the rebuilding in the areas that can be brought back in the short term.

pump the place out, get the electricity back on, and start getting as much of the city as possible back on its feet!

[DoughtyOne]

That's my take also. What's the benefit of turning the whole place into a ghost town? Is this an admission that the whole area is going to be bulldozed and land filled? If so, be up front about it and work with people. Don't become the antithesis of what Americans stand for.

[brytlea]

It's not a simple matter of getting the water out. They aren't going to be rebuilding anything anytime soon. These folks will likely be in the way, they will require services of some sort (water/food/sewer/trash removal/etc). Where are they going to get those things? Who is going to supply them?
I have mixed feelings about them being removed, because I'm sure I would not be anxious to leave my house to the looters (and I saw a woman leaving with the police AND HER DOG, so I rather doubt some of these they won't let me take my pets stories). However, who is going to get these people supplies?
susie