No, but they could have walked to a designated shelter. I'm still keenly aware that those shelters were then subsequently all but abandoned and those inside were, in many cases, worse off than those outside. However, as designated evac points, being in those shelters should rightfully have entitled survivors to first evacuation, as they, by going to the shelters, were placing their lives in the care of "government" before the storm hit.
Subsequently, the handling of the evacuees in the Superdome after the storm is the biggest gripe I've got against the rescue and recovery efforts thus far. In preperation, there wasn't much else the shelter could have had done to prevent the conditions inside; it was understood that the loss of power and air-conditioning, as well as potable water and toilet facilities, would occur during the hurricane and wouldn't have been restored. People taking shelter there were told to bring supplies for an extended stay as well, which (in theory) would have prevented mass-starvation. It's the fact that they were left there practically unattended for almost a week after the storm that was poorly handled.
