There was a series of events. Excusing their "ignoring" of the evacuation order, hotels were exmpted from it.
Then, once in the pickle, with the hurricane over, they hired busses to take them out of the pickle - and out of the pickle is where everybody should be headed. But their menas of egress was commandeered by authorities, and if I understand it, the commandeering was under federal authority.
Anyway, point being that it wasn't just their staying that put them in the predicament. Somebody in authority over-rode their initiative.
Your points are valid. Nontheless, wiser choices could have been made. It is the same type of thinking that compels some individuals to be gunowners and others not. The latter group assumes that someone will take care of things. The former group is hopeful that this is the case, but wants to have the ability to handle things on their own just in case. In a situation like this, if you can't rent a car or get a plane or bus ticket, you buy a used car and sell it at the other end, or you buy a bicycle. The point is that you take the initiative to be in control of the situation.
It is foolish to put blind faith in the government to take care of things.