Oddly enough this is one place where they followed the LA Emergency Operations Plan. They repeatedly called the Superdome a place of "Last Resort," not a shelter. Some pre-storm statements referred to it as such and to other places as "shelters." The difference was predefined and important, but little understood by the media or most of those who were fleeing to the Superdome.
PART VI: STAGING AREAS / LAST RESORT REFUGE
A. Staging Areas
The definition of a staging area is a central location, easily accessible to those ambulatory people who are in need of transportation to a shelter.
1. Residents who have no means of transportation will be directed to the staging areas.
2. Transportation vehicles will be pre-positioned to transport residents to shelters.
3. Once the evacuation routes are closed, the staging areas will become Last Resort Refuges.
4. After the storm has passed and the evacuation order is rescinded, transportation will be provided to return people dropped off at shelters to the staging area.
B. Last Resort Refuge
The definition of Last Resort Refuge is a place for persons to be protected from the high winds and heavy rains from the storm. Unlike a shelter, there may be little or no water or food and possibly no utilities. A Last Resort Refuge is intended to provide best available survival protection for the duration of the hurricane only.
1. Once evacuation routes are closed, people who were unable to evacuate the risk area will be directed to last resort refuge and /or staging areas.
2. When it is determined that weather conditions permit, rescue teams will be sent into areas designated for Last Resort Refuge to transport evacuees to designated shelters.
They only intended people to be in the Dome while Katrina was overhead. Once it blew past they'd clear any dangerous wind damage then let everyone out. They didn't anticipate a flood trapping people there for so long. IIRC one post said the guard delivered enough food and water to the Dome before the storm for 15,000 people for one day.
"They didn't anticipate a flood trapping people there for so long"
There was always a clear highway out of NO and the Superdome
Hard to believe. They knew a Cat 5 was coming and they had levees designed for Cat 3. They had been told over and over that there would be 10-20 feet of water throughout the city with a Cat 5. So there is no explanation for how they expected to move 30K people from the dome to a shelter with 10-20 feet of water in the streets. Plus it is unclear what shelter(s) they expected to move the people into for several months since they had bveen told the city would be trashed of rmonths with a Cat 5 direct hit. They had no plan because New Orleans is the "City that Care Forgot".