Mikael Gennser:
President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisianna the 26th of August (ie days before the hurricane hit the Gulf coast) and released federal funds to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Unfortunately the governor of Louisiana and Mayor of N. O. refused to cooperate. See statement by Senator Dr. Bill Frist, who is currently helping victims with medical needs around New Orleans.
It was President Bush who asked the Mayor of NO and the Governor of LA to start the evacuation. This was admitted in a press conference by Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin on Sunday the 28th August. The statement that President Bush had called and personally appealed for the mandatory evacuation for the city was reported on several TV channels and newspapers including the Guardian.
Further comments hardly necessary.

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.
The White House August 27, 2005

New Orleans Mayor Issues Evacuation Order
The Guardian Sunday August 28, 2005

THEY HAD A PLAN.... they just didn't use it
Free Republic

Figure these buses have 60 or so seats on them. That adds up to an additional 9,000 or so passengers who could have ridden them out of New Orleans ahead of the storm and the flood in one trip. If Ebbert had followed the plan.
http://junkyardblog.net/archives/week_2005_08_28.html#004752