New Orleans kinda ready to re-open for Gustav evacuees

Some areas of the city are open and ready for returning evacuees of Gustav.  At least 10,000 in New Orleans never evacuated and are finding few gas stations open and few grocery stores ready for business.  My neighborhood is without power, but all other utilities are in place.  My work does not expect me to return until Monday, September 8th, so the choice is...stay in a nice motel, read books, eat out...or go home to a house without AC with 90+ temperatures and 90 percent humidity.   Easy choice.  The couple that evacuated and stayed near us in Alabama made it back today and confirmed the few services available, but did say the Rouse's grocery on Royal and St. Peter in the French Quarter is open, although all purchases must be cash.  Also, there's a gas station open on N. Rampart near the French Quarter.  They reported that the sign warning New Orleans residents NOT to return is still up on the east end of the I-10 twin span near Slidell, Louisiana, although there is no military presence enforcing the order.  They also confirmed that there are several trees and limbs blocking streets.


Published: 9/3/08, 8:05 PM EDT
By MARY FOSTER and MELINDA DESLATTE NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Thousands of people who fled Hurricane Gustav forced the city to reluctantly open its doors Wednesday, while President Bush returned to the site of one of the biggest failures of his presidency to show that the government had turned a corner since its bungled response to Katrina.Faced with traffic backups on paths into the city, Mayor Ray Nagin gave up checking ID badges and automobile placards designed to keep residents out until early Thursday. Those who returned said if the city was safe enough for repair crews and health care workers, it was safe enough for them, too."People need to get home, need to get their houses straight and get back to work," said George Johnson, who used back roads to sneak into the city. "They want to keep you out of your own property. That's just not right."But once back at home, tens of thousands of people had no power and no idea when it might return. Across the state, nearly 1.2 million homes and businesses were without electricity, and officials said it could take as long as a month to fix all outages.