In the days before Gustav arrived, nearly 2 million people were evacuated from the Louisiana coast. Eighteen deaths were attributed to the storm in the US, several of them occurring during cleanup after it had passed.
Nearly 80,000 people remained in shelters in Louisiana and nearby states. An estimated 18,000 people fled from New Orleans on buses and trains arranged by the state and federal governments.
Nagin said on Wednesday night that he hoped the process of returning the city’s evacuated residents would begin today and most would return by the end of the weekend, depending on weather, roads and rail conditions.
Five people were arrested Wednesday in only the second case of attempted looting in New Orleans since the city emptied. Worried about potential looting, Nagin said the city would maintain its dusk-to-dawn curfew indefinitely.
RSS