That's apples and oranges. Those people had the means to leave and chose to stay. Some 100,000 people in New Orleans did not have the means to leave, and there was no emergency planning to give them a way to get out.
You nailed it. Every State has the responsibility to it's citizens to have a well thought out plan and the Supervisors and employees and volunteers to carry out those plans asap. You do not hold back and wait to see what will happen. President Bush, Gov Barber and Gov Riley did the right thing, Blanco did not. Sometimes it is who you hire to do those most important jobs that can make you a hero or a Schmuck.