Ironic, New Orleans goverment didn't follow their protocols during the evacuation, but when they had the chance to actually help people in the Superdome, all of the sudden their protocols became important.
The "New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Plan" designates the Superdome as a "Special Needs Shelter of Last Resort". Basically it means that the Superdome would be a place for people who have some kind of medical need that they can treat on their own (or with 1 caregiver).
Somehow, instead of being a secondary type shelter, the general public started showing up. Since the people were there, and the emergency plan was toilet paper any way, why they would refuse to let the Red Cross provide assistance is beyond me. Especially since they weren't redirecting anyone to an official shelter either.