My Thoughts on the Katrina Aftermath

It is not entirely the fault of the Feds.
It is not entirely the fault of the Local or State governments.

Yes, the federal government took a few days to get there, but then, that's not a surprise, is it? Government agencies, by nature, are not fast responders. When's the last time you got through a post office line in less than half an hour?

Yes, the state and local governments could have done a lot more to help out. Louisiana should have been declared a disaster area. A mandatory evacuation should have been in place.

School buses in Louisiana, as seen from above.

No, they wouldn't have evacuated everyone, but they would have evacuated a group at a time, took them over the state line (or at another predetermined point) and gone back for more. The school buses should have been used to bus out those who had no reliable transportation (or, people should have been advised to use any available transportation--bikes or walking if necessary--and get outta dodge).

If you read the city of New Orleans' comprehensive emergency plan, it says very clearly: "Conduct of an actual evacuation will be the responsibility of the mayor of New Orleans (my emphasis). The city of New Orleans will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas. Special arrangements will be made to evacuate persons unable to transport themselves or who require specific life-saving assistance. Additional personnel will be recruited to assist in evacuation procedure as needed. Approximately 100,000 citizens of New Orleans do not have means of personal transportation."

What I want to know: Why isn't anyone talking about how Mississippi and Alabama recovered? Nearly all the news has been about New Orleans?

For the interested: Junk Yard Blog drives home the excellent point of who exactly is responsible for what.