WTF?

Is it me, or is the situation in New Orleans just plain weird at this point? The headlines are all saying things like "New Orleans descends into anarchy". There's apparently about 10,000 or 20,000 or 30,000 people who would just like to get the fuck out of there and go someplace with food and water. It's been 4 days, and the buses are just starting to arrive to get people out? President Bush is organizing some sort of fund-raising drive, but I don't think cash is going to do anyone any good at the moment - what they need is for someone to go pick them the hell up. I guess 30,000 people is a lot of people, but there must be 30,000 people in the Superdome every time there's a sporting event, and they all manage to get leave effectively. It's so hard to tell what's going on from reading the news. Are all the road closed? Is it not possible to drive in a bunch of buses and pick everyone up? And why is it so difficult to find someplace for everyone to go? Sure, if you're going to insist that all 30,000 of them go to the same place, it's going to be tough. But there must be plenty of places nearby that weren't wiped out in the hurricane, and maybe each small town could take a busload?

UPDATE:
An article in Slate makes excellent points:
- What the hell has the Department of Homeland Security been doing since 9/11? Why does the U.S. appear to be totally unprepared for this?
- We had a day or two warning that the hurricane was going to hit New Orleans. What if instead of a hurricane, it had been a dirty bomb, set off by terrorists, with no warning? New Orleans would be even more fucked than it is now, wouldn't it? Yes, it would.
- Or what if terrorists had just destroyed the levees? Exact same situation, and we're completely unable to handle it. Can I please have my tax dollars back, so I can arrange my own security in the event of a disaster?