Did the mayor leave New Orleans?

August 28, 2005 8:11 PM

I know the the mayor of New Orleans (Ray Nagin) has issued a mandatory evacuation order for NO. Has he left the city too?
posted by Count Ziggurat to law & government (10 comments total)

I saw him on MSNBC and he said he had a room at the Hyatt and would be in the city for the duration.
posted by jamesonandwater at 8:13 PM on August 28, 2005

I also heard one of the state's US Senators saying that he would be up in the Baton Rouge area at some special police HQ location.
posted by jessamyn at 8:36 PM on August 28, 2005

I heard him call in to CNN saying that he was hunkered down at City Hall.
posted by Corky at 8:43 PM on August 28, 2005

BTW, here's the text of the order, which excludes him (if he's essential):

A mandatory evacuation order is hereby called for all of the Parish of Orleans, with only the following exceptions: essential personnel of the United States of America, State of Louisiana and City of New Orleans; essential personnel of regulated utilities and mass transportation services; essential personnel of hospitals and their patients; essential personnel of the media; essential personnel of the Orleans Parish Criminal Sheriff's Office and its inmates and essential personnel of operating hotels and their patrons. Unless covered by one of the aforementioned exceptions, every person is hereby ordered to immediately evacuate the City of New Orleans or, if no other alternative is available, to immediately move to one of the facilities within the City that will be designated as refuges of last resort.

posted by smackfu at 8:43 PM on August 28, 2005

Prison inmates? Doesn't that create a big risk of riots and whatnot?
posted by Count Ziggurat at 9:09 PM on August 28, 2005

essential personnel of regulated utilities

Man, that scares me. I was once an essential person at a regulated utility (the phone company). I can't imagine having to stay behind and risk death for that job. I hope it's entirely optional for the NOLA phone and power folks.
posted by teece at 9:44 PM on August 28, 2005

If you are in a hardened building with plenty of water and some ultra-thick windows, it might be a lot of fun to try ride out the storm. I wouldn't mind hanging out on the upper floors of the convention center, for example.

I wouldn't go anywhere near the vintage buildings though.
posted by b1tr0t at 9:58 PM on August 28, 2005

b1tr0t: I was on the 12th floor of a 30 floor building during a big storm one time and it was super freaky. On ocassion you could feel the building moving, but during the storm it really moving! That coupled with the windows bulging in from all the wind made for a bit of a scary afternoon.
posted by mmascolino at 11:28 PM on August 28, 2005

I can't imagine having to stay behind and risk death for that job.

These were people exempted from mandatory evacuation, that doesn't mean that it is was also mandatory that they stay put!
posted by dgaicun at 12:28 AM on August 29, 2005

I wouldn't go anywhere near the vintage buildings though.

I dunno, vintage buildings are vintage for a reason, after all.
posted by jacquilynne at 5:29 AM on August 29, 2005