Elizabeth is sure playing the downtrodden victim card. The people who are staying in their homes are the poor who can't afford the costs of evacuation. They are the people who wait-on and pick up the trash of those who can afford to drive off to motels. Shelters are available but why leave your home and risk having it broken into  (Liz didn't suggest that the same risk applies to those on the road). 

But at the end of the article, it was all about a study that showed those who stay value interdependence – “that is a a sense of community and a belief in helping others affected by the storm.”   In the end Elizabeth R. didn't really offer any suggestions for what could be done better - iether by the authorities or the "poor".