Very true. Luisiana in general has almost always been "on its own", much to thje envy of its neighbor, Texas. The Napoleonic Code is still the order of the day, to a large extent (and the only place in the US), and the corruption and graft in NO government is legendary, to the point Chicago and New York (and even Washington, DC) are jealous.

Poor planning, very bad civilian attitudes and a lackluster local government caused this catastrophe -- which was a long time coming. The hurricane only made it apparent.