Please bear in mind I’ve posted this in GQ, so only factual answers please.
News organisations are saying the poorer people in New Orleans could not afford to evacuate before Katrina struck. Did the authorities lay on free buses and trains to get people out or not?
No. This is one of the reasons that people are so upset. I believe that the official disater plans suggested something like this, but the city government didn’t do it.
What’s more, the public transport stopped operating soon after the evacuation order was given, with no provision for anybody without access to a car.