Why the Mandatory Evacuation?

It will be interesting to see how fast this spreads (full Nola.com article here), as opposed to the erroneous speculation about why the levees failed. Key point:

"Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding."

Some interesting thoughts from a Southerner...

Wicked Wish "Look at the helping hands. Last night I took some pride and hope in the airboats, battered pontoons, canoes and other assorted crafts that are coming into the city by the score. FEMA managers smiled like the cavalry had come in; men in lettered jackets began directing men in hunting fatigues to various quadrants of the city. Beat-to-hell trucks are backing up to the water's edge to haul away the sick and injured. It isn't a proper cavalry, I don't suppose. They have no uniforms, most of them. They're the fathers and sons and wives and daughters of soldiers overseas; or they're bayou folk who heard that warm bodies were needed.

They're Texans with medical and fire department personnel from Austin and Houston.
They're power crews from New York and California, making long caravans of equipment and vehicles.

Tennessee is sending volunteers too, because that's what it does. This morning I passed an old Ford Bronco towing a rickety fishing boat with a sign that said, "NOLA OR BUST." The driver probably had to take off work to make this trip. He may well have borrowed money for gas. It might cost him overtime, or repairs to that boat, or a trip to the doctor later on -- but he'll have a home to return to, and he knows how bad off he'd be if the waters rose here. And in this way, one person at a time, the nation rallies."

Here is a discussion about women's issues in Afghanistan. As the below clip indicates, this is a long term change, not short term.
RADIO FREE EUROPE/ RADIO LIBERTY: "Beyond ensuring security -- which was more of an issue for women living in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the resurgent neo-Taliban and their allies have stepped up their destructive activities -- all seven said they favored long-term reconstruction projects that would empower women over short-term programs. The leading issues of concern for all of the women who spoke at RFE/RL were health care and education."