We evacuated from Irma. The trip to North Carolina was a nightmare. All of the major evacuation routes were jammed, and it was extremely difficult to find gas. In the end, the storm was not that bad. Probably what everyone remembered most about it was the images of the clogged evacuation routes and the gas issues.
I was, as you would expect, watching video of Ian from the beginning to the end. The televised images of the evacuation routes strongly suggested to me that people weren’t leaving. It now appears that I was right, and the death toll will reflect that.
Katrina was the result of events that were not foreseen–the failure of some of the levees–and the practical inability of many of the city’s residents to evacuate. Ian was different. Everyone could have evacuated, and the government told them to do so; the problem was getting people to believe, based on their experiences with Charley and Irma, that leaving was a better option than staying.
At the micro level, I don’t think you can blame Florida government for sending the wrong message. In the long run, however, refusing to deal with climate change is a crime, because it will lead to more storms and more deaths. In that sense, Florida government, which is to say uninterrupted rule by the GOP– is very much culpable, and will pay the price when residents start fleeing the state.