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As I said, there was a letter dated August 27 to FEMA Region 6 I cannot seem to put my hands on now, so I'll respect your position as I cannot lay onto the record the information I had come across previously.

That said, The basics are still there: 1. Storm on its way to the eastern Bayou region of Louisiana.

2. Governor's office runs timeline into and beyond requirements set out in New Orleans documentation for full evacuations (48 hours needed, Baton Rouge acts at storm-24 hours).

3. New Orleans keeps remaining residents, essentially, locked in the city (though there probably wasn't much to go to across the Mississippi--it was evacuated too, though it was dry. or at least drier--portions of Algiers flooded near the boundary with St. Bernard parish) after the event. [BTW - Not reported--Jefferson parish did, essentially, the same thing by keeping the Causeway closed (there was no reported damage to that structure), though that would have been a 27-mile hike across the bridge.]

4. The governor's office prevented supplies from getting into New Orleans.

5. Even after released, and I haven't seen any press acknowledgement of this (I only know because I used to live down there), it takes a long time for supplies to wend there way from central Louisiana to the eastern bayou region over the only two roads available for this action.

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Though it may not seem like it, I do appreciate your input to make sure the record is accurate.

... there was a letter dated August 27 to FEMA Region 6 I cannot seem to put my hands on now ...

I haven't seen any letter from Blanco -TO- FEMA, but both her Aug 27 and Aug 28 letters were routed -THROUGH- FEMA. That is the established protocol for requesting assistance. There is a reason -both- the President and FEMA are in the address block.

August 27, 2005
The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Through:
Regional Director
FEMA Region VI
800 North Loop 288
Denton, Texas 76209
Dear Mr. President: ...
http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976