No one got the full picture on the ground. Blanco's decisions now seem ludicrous because we can see them in there entirety as played out on a time line. When it was happening, and if you were on the ground in charge of the LANG or the Wildlife Service, the small order that you received may have made sense. At least it could come down to a judgment call. It wasn't until after the Levees broke and the shooting started that the politicians in N.O. even realized they had a problem. And by then, limiting civilian access to the city probably seemed like the right idea.
Yes, you're right of course, but... I'm sorry, an order to refuse to allow anyone to bring drinking water to people suffering in NO's heat should have triggered some people's brains to kick in! Think about it. If they felt the need to keep the civilian aide workers out, fine, they should have taken it upon themselves to bring those suppies in themselves.