The blame for part of this screw up has to start being placed on those who were too stupid to get out of the way. Many of those folks did have transportation and simply chose not to leave. They are the one's who kept electing the leaders they got stuck with during this crisis. Let's put some of the blame where it rightfully belongs.
The conservative part of the state, pretty much the rest of the state, has tried for years to get things done the right way. Yet those in NOLA who have been so used to getting everything given to them kept the state from making that progress because of their "voting patterns". If you will take note of who is trying to defeat the necessary budget cuts you will discover that they are in the Louisiana Black Caucus.
They are squealing loudly now because they can no longer influence the powers that be with their vote. They have lost too many folks to other regions of the country.
Historically, New Orleans has occupied a privileged position in the hierarchy of Louisiana. Many laws were on the books, bestowing unique privileges, that began ... "A city with a population of 500 thousand people ...".
New Orleans was the only city in the state that had a population in excess of half a million people. I have often wondered if those laws were amended after the 1990 census when the population of New Orleans dropped below 500,000 people [496,938]. The population of New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hit was estimated to have dropped to approximately 462,267. The current population of New Orleans cannot be estimated; however, it is expected to stabilize in the near term at approximately 250,000.
Traditionally, "they" [New Orleanians] have been xenophic. They have tended to have a snooty attitude toward the rest of the state which they perceived as being populated by less worthy individuals ... perhaps even "rubes", if you will, despite the fact that there are educated, cultured people all over Louisiana. The liberal population of New Orleans and the increasingly conservative rest of the state often tended to mix like oil and water.
Other cities and towns in Louisiana have had to absorb large numbers of New Orleanians. They are bound to be less than sympathetic to the needs of New Orleans while their own budgets are strapped by having to take care of its evacuees.
Pre-Hurricane population figures for the largest Louisiana cities:
New Orleans 484,674 [urbanized area 1,337,726];
Baton Rouge 227,818 [urbanized area 602,894];
Shreveport 200,145 [urbanized area 390,000].