New Orleans Residents Head Home

All Hurricane Gustav evacuees are being allowed back into New Orleans after Mayor Ray Nagin abandoned a more drawn-out reentry plan, the Washington Post reports. Those returning had trouble locating supplies, and officials warned power outages would add to difficulties. "We'd like to say welcome back, but it's not the way we'd like to do it," one local official said.

Gustav knocked large segments of New Orleans off the grid, and repair crews are struggling to reconnect the city's emergency infrastructure. President Bush ordered federal aid for Louisiana, and called for utilities in neighboring states to pitch in. "We're much better coordinated this time than we were after Katrina," he said. "All in all, the response has been excellent." (More Hurricane Gustav stories.)