The New Orleans Commission to seek overhaul..., has called on authorities to close the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, a shortcut for shipping from the River to the coast which cuts through a corner of the City. This outlet was a major source of the water which flooded the eastern, predominantly Black half of the City (Orleans Parish) when the storm surge roared up from the Gulf Coast.
As a shipping route, the Federal government authorities are responsible for the Outlet.
Local authorities have reached a consensus that it should be closed; opened in the 1960's, for years it has been little used and serves as a conduit for destructive saltwater into freshwater wetlands. Port of New Orleans authorities object to closure, and may be supported by federal authorities. See New York Times, article by Gary Devlin, January 11, 2006, 'New Orleans Commission....'

The Navigation Canal levee failures was responsible for the rest of the water entering the Ninth Ward and adjacent areas of Orleans Parish. This Canal also is the responsibility of the Federal government.

Blame is thrown on City authorities for failure to use buses, but licensed drivers could not be found, and the worst hit areas of Metro could not be reached. The so-called ghost train could have helped a few hundred in its neighborhood, providing that timing was satisfactory, a point in dispute, and it was not accessible to those who needed evacuation most.

People who do not know the situation look on New Orleans as a City under unified control, which it is not. Slightly more than half the citizens of Metro New Orleans live (lived) outside of the City boundaries, and are subject to the governments of adjacent cities, and the authorities of Jefferson and Orleans Parishes.

The closure of the bridge to Gretna, across the River and a city only slightly affected by water, was effected by Gretna and Jefferson Parish authorities. The City of Kenner, between New Orleans and the Airport, refused shelters. The City has no authority in these and other suburban 'cities', although no boundaries are discernable.
The Governor is similarly handicapped because of the deep chasm between the politicians of the northern part of the State and the region around New Orleans. Decisions on major waterways are Federal, and he finds himself largely in an advisory position.