Bush surveys Gustav response as evacuees head home

By Tim Gaynor

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - President George W. Bush made a quick visit to Louisiana on Wednesday to survey damage from Hurricane Gustav as New Orleans officials lifted roadblocks to allow tens of thousands who fled the city to return despite widespread power outages.

Bush, widely criticized for a slow response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, said government "was much better coordinated this time than we were with Katrina," which killed 1,500 people and caused $80 billion in damages.

But after a briefing by emergency service providers in the state capital of Baton Rouge, Bush said much work was left to be done, most importantly restoring power to 1.1 million homes and business.

He did not visit New Orleans, which escaped the brunt of the storm and saw its vulnerable levees hold, and said the thrust of relief efforts targeted hard-hit rural areas.

Nearly 2 million people fled the Louisiana coast, including some 95 percent of New Orleans' residents -- an unprecedented exodus credited with saving lives.

New Orleans officials lifted police roadblocks to allow residents to return, and cars and trucks packed with families, bedding, cats and dogs streamed back into the city.

"The city is much better but our services are still limited," Mayor Ray Nagin said at City Hall. "So be patient." The power is out, and groceries and gasoline are in short supply, he said.

Residents returned to a city strewn with downed trees and power lines, and faced the prospect of enduring the city's sweltering heat without climate control.

"Where's the power?" asked Michelle Ferguson, a contractor who returned to her darkened home on Wednesday. "Get the electricity here going."

Louisiana reported just six deaths in the immediate wake of the storm. And New Orleans police said they had arrested only two people for looting.

That was a stark contrast to Katrina's aftermath, when looters roamed the streets and rescue helicopters plucked thousands of people from rooftops and bridges.

ELECTRIC POWER TOP PRIORITY

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, praised for his leadership during his first major storm as governor, said power was his biggest worry and he wouldn't stand for delays.

"I can't emphasize this enough," he said. "It is the number one obstacle to a quick recovery of our impacted region." Original estimates offered by utilities to restore power state-wide in 10 days were "unacceptable," he said.

Jindal pegged economic damage to the state at $7-$15 billion, mostly from storm-related business closures.