They didn't need to evacuate.  They survived the storm.  Those that stayed in shelters by and large survived the floods.  The Superdomheld up and had the roof gone the people inside would have been wet but alive.  Those that neither escaped nor went to shelters were determined to stay where they were no matter what (try tying down people beforehand arresting those unwilling to leave),  Many of them made the right decision if all you are facing is a storm and possibility of shortterm flooding ... and knowledge that you are going to recieve relief after the fact. Who would have thought that days after the storm had passed there would be no real presence of the feds in or around that city.  Not just that city but up and down the coast. How amazing is the timing that relief occurs on the same day up and down the coast and in New Orleans as when the President finally arrives. 

These people couldn't afford to miss a day of work. That city needed to get back to work after the storm and that wasn't going to happen if everyone up and left.  Twenty-twenty hindsight tells you they are all leaving anyway, but that was not something expected prior to the storm as bad as they expected it to be or not.  

The issue, and the only real issue here, is that it was food and water they needed.  I've said this before.  It would have taken the same time or longer to evacuate people beforehand as it would after the storm.  The buses used before could not be reused like they are now as they would have been held up in traffic for hours.  School buses would not have accomodated many of the sick and feeble.  So we are talking 3 or 4 days to get all of those people out and the use of thousands of buses. Where was the hurricane 3 or 4 days before it hit?  Seriously, where was it and when it was there what was its strength?  

So we have to not focus on New Orleans here.  If we are to blame New Orleans for not evacuating, and it would have taken many days to get all of those people out, then you have to say that every city up and down the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Texas would have to do the same thing.  Do you evacuate every city the second any storm hits the Gulf?  At some point you get as many people out as you can and you hunker down.  The rest will be taken care of after the storm. These people survived the hurricane, the issue here is only one, they needed food and water delivered to those shelters and there is no reason, given the obvious access to the city (same used to move buses to Houston and back), for water and food not to arrive.  At a minimum water, since thats the number one necessity.  Food can wait longer than water.

This argument needs to be driven into the ground.  Its the one foothold they seem to have over people, left and right.  The state and local authorities held up their end of the plan.  The feds screwed it up.  This is no talking point as its clearly too long.  I wish I could make my point in fewer words as I know less is more.  You can offer alternatives or even disagree but this is my take on this topic.