First, from what I've heard, no one except the media was thinking that Gustav would turn into a Katrina-strength storm. Second, I am astounded at the petty self-centeredness of some of these people. They complain because Katrina was so bad, and now they complain because it wasn't as bad as they thought, but they can't go home yet. Why not be grateful for life and go on the best we can? The weather will not always temper itself to our desires. Blaming and moaning delay healing.

what are governments supposed to do? people will complain no matter what. i just hope that people in these areas will take all proper precautions when it comes to these wild storms.

Does anyone think that they can actually out think our heavenly father and predict how bad a storm is going to be? Lets blame someone anyone so we feel good about ourselves.

Because of the evacuation, there were no deaths ...no Super Dome pictures and no fund raisers for us to be panicked about.

No politicians can use the hurricane and it's devastation for their name calling benefit.
I would call the common sense of getting away form a hurricane a success.

This just shows how cynical people can be. Katrina everyone complains because they didn't get out when ordered and ended up in a bad situation. This one was projected to be bad and everyone did get out safe, but complain because it wasn't as big as they thought. Then if the people stay for the next one and end up like Katrina then are they going to blame the officials that told them to get out?

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. The only thing irresponsible about the government response to this impending disaster was the hysteria whipped up by the drive-by media. This storm caused great damage as noted in the story but because the government was prepared and handled it well the drive-bys are not interested. Neither are they interested in the fact that the Homeland Security measures put in place by Pres. Bush have prevented any more attacks on the United States. They hate the fact that America is winning the war in Iraq, Al Quieda has been weakened, and our troops will be coming home with honor thanks to Pres. Bush's surge. Instead of cinically questioning the success of the government run evacuation, a responsible media would be praising the quick and effective Federal response and urge the East Coast residents to follow the government instructions for saftey. But responsible media is an oxymoron to this liberal, anything-to-destroy-Bush crowd. Many of them truely hope for Americans to suffer so that a socialist will be elected. They only believe in freedom for the press, not for the people.

I am no genius and barely graduated from high school however I think I have one or two things figured out; water runs down hill and it always goes to the lowest point first.

New Orleans is still in a hole and I'm ticked that the government, for the sake of trying to keep people happy, especially those that feel they are entitled to live in New Orleans, continues to try and keep the water out of that hole. I'm not only talking about the water that a hurricane may deliver but the normal everyday water that has to be pumped out of that hole. Every drop of water that goes down the drain, below the level of surrounding terrain, has to be pumped out.

Why spend billions of dollars to continue do the same thing with the same potential results. Let the city live up to its name “New” Orleans and let it be "new" on high ground and let the country’s armed services use the current city for training in urban warfare.

If they say there's a storm coming and no one leaves, the Government didn't do enough to protect the people. If they say there's a storm coming and everyone leaves, they are crying wolf. Doesn't really matter what the officials do, they will do it wrong.
Give them a break. It's better to flee when it wasn't needed then to die.

"Love it, or leave it!" is right on with his comments.
I say let Darwins principal take over - survival of the fittest, and through natural selection process let the weak and stupid die-off. Are you tired of paying for idiots?

Jeb says: "Ya know I jest bought me a trailer near dem der train tracks, and the noise keeps me woke-up all night long."

No the officials didn't cry wolf. They did what they had to do. I think it's the media that is heart broken cause there wasn't any super awesome photo shots and reports to have this time around. The government was right in telling people to leave and telling those that chose to stay that they will be on their own. No wolf cry here at all.

After reading this imbeicilically written story I'm reminded of an old saying "some people would complain if they were hanged with a new rope"!

Amen to some of these down-to-earth comments about this story. Common sense is a virtue held in low regard by some media persons. It would be funny except this stuff happens so often it no longer is humorous. Sometimes what passes for logic with the media does not just show how ignorant the media thinks we all are, as how ignorant the media themselves really are! They have limited real world experiences and that fact is glaringly obvious in their reporting.

As an aside I agree 100% with "Love it or leave it". Throwing money away to protect a city most of which is below sea level is illogical. Take that money currently being thrown down a rat hole, move inland about 25 miles where there is plenty of above sea level land available, buy the land and build a new New Orleans.

A lot of people commenting have said it well: the people who call for evacuation can't win. No call and someone dies: the government didn't do enough. Call for evac and the storm didn't track where it could have gone: wolf. Cowboy up, losers! Even that deadbeat Ray Nagin called for an evac before Katrina and his own people ignored him. When will people take responsibility for their own lives? Be glad the government warned you that peril was possible. Sorry for the inconvenience, but get over it.

Why are we even writing this article? There damned if they do (Gustav) and damned if they don't (Katrina). Was there any harm done in evacuating the city this time? I say know. When it comes to safety in hurricanes, overreaction is far better than underreaction. If the people of New Orleans feel put out, move to a city that isn't 20 ft below sea level sitting on the coast in hurricane country. I just pisses me off that in Katrina we hear the government didn't do enough and with Gustav we hear the government did too much. You can't have it both ways. Quit your crying and be grateful.

....agree with R U Serious....the word here is prevention of life loss...it is irritating to reasonable people to read this pontificating drivel froma news agency....truly all you press people...get a life and write less and research more..

I live in the tropics, and, it's better to be save, than sorry folks. The Government did just fine.

But how would you know, not living at 12' above sea level?.

Oh yes, that's right, have CA get a earthquake, that shakes Utah a small bit, and you feel it, with young skulls full of mush, because the age there is 28 downward at the most, and, you think "you know it all" because you went to the Y or BYU and are educated to the max, and you toss a hyperboil fit and talk about it for weeks after. Now why is that?.

I guess you never had a hurricane heading right at you, about 450 miles wide from the center of it, that will make a "storm surge" of up to 200' tall in a cat 4 or 5, rushing at you, that's taller that the Temple in Utah, at a high speed to, plus dodge twister's off of those rain bands, on each one, and get dumped on you 45" of rain in a short time to for a day or two, plus the high wind's of from 115 to 500 mph. Right?.

It's BETTER to be safe - than sorry!.

I have a problem with any kind of "mandatory" evacuation by the government, police or fire department. Teach, inform, and advise the public; but let them make their own decisions about leaving. A homeowner or businessman has the right to stay with his property and do what he can to save it. If he dies and drowns, it's his decision, his risk; but on the other hand if the can save his home or business (the government certainly isn't going to do anything to save his home), then he has done something good.

The notion that the government knows best, that the police of fire department knows best--really grates on me. They don't know best, they have the power and they really like to throw that power around, but it shouldn't be their call, the individual should make that call.

In most cases, the government is all wrong anyway, and an evacuation is not necessary.

Evacuating an entire city of 2 Million is nuts - especially every time a storm threatens which could be 3-5 times a summer in the gulf region. They have got to make the city safe to stay - like any other city in the US. Spend the money to make the city safe to stay in even for a cat 5 hurricane. There is another hurricane coming in a week into the gulf so are they going to order the same evacuation? People won't leave for the next one - it's just human nature.

The government knows best, as usual.

Surrender your freedom so that you will be safe from the storm.

Never mind the crew cut in jackboots standing in your front yard with an automatic rifle. You are not safe from him, but you are safe from yourselves.

Do not leave your property for one week or you will go straight to prison.

Does anyone wonder what Nagin and his friends were doing in Nalins while everyone else was gone? They had free reign over that city. OOps. I'm not supposed to question them. I always forget that one.

Prescriptive IBC residential structures, particularly in hurricane geographies, cannot withstand optimal hurricane forces and conditions. Strangely, owners rebuild and replace damaged structures with like kind and quality. From an engineering perspective, this is insane. Why do the same thing repeatedly expecting a different outcome?

Comparatively, California "earthquake country" has Alquist- Priolo Rule (A-P), which maintains that if your structure is damaged requiring repair or alteration and is within a 50' set-back of an earthquake fault or induced surface rupture (soil cracking) a permit to rebuild or repair shall not be issued; lot and structure are condemned. AP is designed to protect and provide life safety in structures subject to catastrophic conditions. It's wise to condemn damaged lots and properties without possibility to rebuild. Government can instead of taking FEMA action, help victims relocate with subsistence financing. It's cheaper. AP in CA helps reduce rising national insurance costs, which are shared by all.

My point: Why do people continue to live in hurricane geographies? Every year the same assault re-occurs. As to forced evacuation, dereliction would be charged if they didn't and "wolf cry" when they do and the worse doesn’t happen. Go figure.

Did officials over-react? Sure they did.

The footsteps you heard weren't those of the two million evacuees fleeing imminent destruction, it was the pitter-patter of the little footsteps of pathetic, pandering politicians tripping all over themselves in lockstep to political correctness.

Disgusting.

This evacuation was not about saving lives it was about saving political butts.

The liberal, Dem leaning media are upset that the administration go onto the problem with speed and thoroughness. They were hoping for another Katrina. The best they can now think to do is to criticize for being over-reactive.

The question is, why do people keep living next to the sea, below sea level, and in a perpetual hurricane alley?

You're right PJ. And another big question is, why does the government keep spending tax money to continually bail these people out? Hurricanes are apparently here to stay. Are we going to have to shell out billions to keep rebuilding these areas?

We should insist that we will only rebuild in that area once. Once is enough.

The government will continue to be forced to over-react to potential problems like this because of the power to influence opinion and perception and vilifying force the media carries (by focusing attention on the worst cases in every situation).

When they cover a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, wild fire, etc, they only show the worst images of destruction they can find. If they backed up a little or took a little more wide-shot you would see that mabey one house in the whole neighborhood was damaged, but from the TV you would think the whole neighborhood was destroyed.

Every President from now on will be forced to over-react to any potential problem because they have seen the worst that can happend (9/11, Katrina, etc).

Weathermen can predict the arrival of hurricanes a week in advance (giving us plenty of time to get out) but they can't predict the force a storm will have tomorrow, nor could they predict things like the levies failing or people deciding not to evacuate when instructed to or people deciding to fly planes into buildings.

We are so influenced by the hype the media puts out for events like this that we can't help but over-react.

Based on the projected path of this hurricane, and its strength, and with the memory of the horror of the aftermath of Katrina still very fresh, it would have been irresponsible not to have called for an evacuation. They provided as well as they could in advance, with transportation and shelter for those who needed it. Even pets were provided for this time. Supplies, manpower, rescue equipment and personnel were in place ahead of time. That they weren't needed - this time - is great.

Thank goodness Gustav did not cause the kind of damage and destruction in New Orleans that Katrina did. If it had, and people were in the city, there would have been an outcry of people saying something should have been done ahead of time!

Many people did stay in the city by choice. It should be understood though that in the event of a direct hit and terrible damage, they should not expect people to risk their lives to then evacuate or rescue them.

All citizens should have a plan in place for if and when this occurs. It is not always the government's responsibility, although the poor, elderly, sick should definitely be helped.

Damned if you dont,...be grateful that there is no fatalities! i live across the ocean and is always good to see that no one is injured.