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But what could be the possible explanation for why tourists were allowed to cut in line to get onto evacuation busses today? Why them, when they were most like the MOST able to evacuate BEFORE the storm.

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Here's what happened: Those tourists were in a schmancy hotel that still had all its facilities working -- phones, water, etc. The police stations were all out of commission.

The mayor made a deal: He would evacuate those tourists out of the city with priority if they agreed to leave the hotel so that the police could use the hotel as a base. The tourists agreed and the mayor kept his word. I'm sure it wasn't an easy decision for the mayor, but he did what he thought was necessary.