Tyler

By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

The nearly 3,300 Hurricane Gustav evacuees in Tyler began to head back home on Tuesday.

City officials said those evacuees who drove themselves to Tyler were able to leave Tuesday morning, after the city of Beaumont lifted its mandatory evacuation order. Tyler's Emergency Management Team began planning yesterday to bus the remaining evacuees to their homes starting today. Officials say they should all be home within the week.

"It will take time, because many of those people will need assistance in getting on the buses and getting everything ready to return," said Mayor Barbara Bass. "We need to make sure medical needs are met for those who need it before they even get on the buses. It will probably take a few days to get everyone back home."

Tyler is working with the American Red Cross, the Texas State Guard, Smith County and the Disaster District Committee to coordinate the evacuee's return to Beaumont. Buses will be dispatched from San Antonio and staged locally for deployment to the 21 shelters in the Tyler area.

Volunteers are working to reunite evacuees with their pets before they head home. The pets received care in an animal shelter managed by Smith County. Pet owners must present identification that matches tracking information gathered at the time their pets were sheltered.

Ms. Bass said the process of receiving and taking care of evacuees went very smoothly, and she expects very little trouble sending them back home.

"The last three years have been a continuous planning process by the state and federal government, as well as our local community. I think what happened as far as getting the evacuees in, getting them in shelters, meeting their personal as well as medical needs, is a personal response to the planning that was done," she said. "I think what we're seeing is the result of good planning."

City officials say they are still prepared for the heavy rains associated with what remains of Hurricane Gustav. City crews, as well as Oncor crews, are on standby to respond to storm-related issues. The Street Department will be monitoring the following streets which have the potential to flood: