Would it have been so awful for him to say,
“If you live in an area of Houston that has flooded in the past, then you should evacuate. This storm is bringing us 50 inches of rain. If you are worried that you live in an area that might flood with that kind of rain, then evacuate.”
He had days to say that.
He didn’t.
He basically told everyone to only listen to him and then he told them to stay.
The people of Houston will have to decide whether he took the proper actions for this emergency, and BEFORE this emergency.
Ah someone else gets it. Well said! It is not all or nothing. Just suggest evacuation of people in lower lying areas. This is not rocket science. Everyone in that area should know a bit about hurricanes and rainstorms and can decide whether they need to leave or not.