The issue of why so many people, particularly people of color, did not evacuate or seek shelter in the dome is fascinating to me. NOLA has always had a "it's your choice" approach. Clearly that affects people disproportionately. It seems basic $$$ impacts whether you can evacuate. You either have it or you don't. Less so of simply getting to the shelter. In retrospect, given what happened, perhaps many more people, churches, and organizations could have found the transportation or resources to leave (there are lots of cars floating around NOLA--even if you don't have a car you might likely know someone who did). Some other random thoughts:
1. Even if you have $$$, even a small amount, $$$ affects your decision regarding evacuation. I myself, who had a room in Houston, headed east because if it was a say 5 day thing that was going to be $700 or so. That's a lot of $$ for even me (SoWal mortgage considered). Bigger burden as you go down the income scale.
2. The potential to have to spend $$ can affect your evaluation of the danger you are in. Particularly when it will be the very last dime.
3. Hurricane was at the end of the month. People short of cash.
4. The education system in NOLA (where the poor attend) is notoriously bad. The hurricane education obviously did not reach the poor.
5. Pets Pets Pets Pets Pets. I used to ride these things out in NOLA somewhat for this reason. Then I realized many hotels take pets.
6. NOLA had two recent false alarms: Ivan, where there was an evacuation and the city was fine, and Dennis, where some folk evacuated even though it never even went to an evacuation in LA. Creates perceptions that this too will be a false alarm. I heard some woman saying she stayed b/c she was still paying off the Ivan bills.
7. Leaving your home is tough to do. Rich or poor. Particularly for the old and the poor. The violence in the lower 9th is incredible, thus fear of looting.
8. Ivan was NOLA's first experience with contraflow. Many many problems (which were addressed fortunately in the interim). A concern has always been that after Ivan people would simply not evacuate b/c contraflow was such a disaster then.
9. NOLA's evacuation plan sucks.
10. During a prior storm where the dome was used, I want to say Andrew but I think it was later than that, there was a near riot when people were not allowed immediately to leave (power lines down). City was reluctant to use the dome, I think, for that reason, and perhaps people were reluctant to go.
