HALF of New Orleans was without power yesterday, its sewerage system was damaged and authorities said it was too soon for evacuees to go home.
click here to view a slideshow of the aftermath of GustavHurricane Gustav weakened before hitting the coast to the west of New Orleans as a Category 2 hurricane, and the city was saved a devastating blow. The storm also did no major damage to key oil installations.
After ordering citizens to leave as part of a statewide exodus of 1.9 million people – one of the largest and most orderly evacuations in US history – Ray Nagin, the mayor New Orleans, said they could return later this week.
"We're going to do a full assessment today and really begin in earnest with repairs," Mr Nagin told the CNN network. "But my initial assessment is there is still some damage out in the city."
He said much of New Orleans was still without power and that hospitals were being run with drastically reduced staff.
The full article contains 177 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
