Again, I agree with your harsh criticism, and I don't really feel like making a case for what was certainly a bungled operation all around. However....
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The Silverdome isn't a shelter. The convention center is not a shelter. They did not use any of the traditional locations citys use as designated temporary shelters. They didn't stock them with enough water, medecine, and food. They created situations where officials, media, and first responders feared for their own saftey, and evacuated the place designated as a safety zone. That is inexcusable. If you're the mayor of a city, it's your job to make sure your city is outfitted with proper shelters. I blame ALL the authorities. You have to be outraged and angry by what you're seeing, and I can't imagine how anyone can realistically say this was all a circumstance of a natural disaster. I'm angry, I'm sure you're angry too... I can't tell you exactly what could have been done better, but I don't think it's much of an argument about what should have been done differently.
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Agreed. I think though you have to take into account the fact that 80% of the city is under water, some parts well over 10 feet of water. People did go to the traditional shelters, but they too needed to be evacuated due to the water. Airports are under water, schools are under water, and hospitals have no power to provide basic needs and services. Even if these shelters were open and safe, they would probably all look like mini-versions of the Silver Dome and Convention Center disasters.
They fucked up, no doubt. But I think the harsh reality here may be that the City of New Orleans didn't have the proper planning, and more importantly, the
funding to make things as secure as they needed to be. Engineers and city planners predicted the scenario, but it seems they simply didn't have the resources to prevent it.