Gustav evacuees allowed to go home
Traffic jammed on some roads into New Orleans as the mandatory evacuation of the city was lifted. Many begged to be able to return, worried about the expence of staying in hotels. Dan Grech reports.
Traffic backed up as residents head home to places including New Orleans (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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TEXT OF STORY
Bob Moon: New Orleans still isn't back to normal after Hurricane Gustav. But residents are returning. As Marketplace's Dan Grech reports, many simply couldn't afford to stay away.
Dan Grech: The mandatory evacuation of New Orleans officially ended this morning. But as Chris Kromm drove into the city yesterday, he got stuck in a huge traffic jam.
Chris Kromm: Lots of people were calling in to talk radio and saying, "This is outrageous, we can't afford to stay another night in the Hampton Inn, and I gotta get back to New Orleans."
Kromm heads the Institute for Southern Studies. He says after an evacuation, the poor are often stuck in shelters. The well-to-do stay away until power is restored. He says the working class is usually first to return home.
Kromm: They were already hanging by a thread. And they've been having to pay for hotel rooms. It just puts them deeper in debt or in a very precarious financial situation.
Since Katrina, New Orleans has struggled to rebuild its middle class. The city lacks affordable housing and well-paying jobs. Kromm says expensive evacuations just make the problem worse.
I'm Dan Grech for Marketplace.
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