A Rude Return to 'Big Easy'

Nagin, who aides said was unavailable Friday, has said he hopes to convert the center into a temporary retail building, but for now it stands empty.

After finding elevated levels of harmful bacteria, gas and oil in 18 samples of the dirt that now coats large swaths of the city, officials at the Environmental Protection Agency Friday recommended "avoiding all contact with sediment." Touching or inhaling the dust and dirt "may cause adverse health effects," said Bill Farland, acting deputy assistant administrator for science.

Cleanup crews must contend with a massive spill in St. Bernard Parish from Murphy Oil, along with gasoline that has leaked from 350,000 flooded vehicles, 50,000 stranded boats and numerous storage tanks, environmental secretary McDaniel said.

About 160,000 homes probably will be demolished, raising fears about asbestos and lead paint in the older buildings; the standing water has heightened concerns about illnesses such as West Nile virus that are transmitted by mosquitoes, he added.

The few people in the city -- cleanup crews, journalists and some hotel staff -- are totally self-sufficient. They carry in food, water, portable generators, tents and barbecue grills. The Sheraton Hotel and two W hotels, all owned by Starwood Inc., are reopening only because the company brought in its own water, food, security and waste disposal tanks, said regional vice president Kevin Regan. Eight trucks deliver 250,000 gallons of water every day to keep air conditioners cooling, toilets flushing and dishwashers running, he said.

"We still don't have a definitive time frame for when the city water will be usable," he said.

Providing housing for construction crews and hotel employees has been manageable, Regan said. But having experienced firsthand the bedlam and violence that followed in Katrina's wake, he is worried that New Orleans is not ready for average residents to descend en masse.

"There are no grocery stores, not many hospitals, gas lines broken. It could create major chaos," he said. "It's great to say we're getting New Orleans back to work, but let's talk about the water, the sewer, medical, food. They don't know what they're coming back to."

At a late afternoon briefing from a new command center in the Hilton Hotel, Ebbert displayed a chart rating the condition of services such as water and power in the three neighborhoods scheduled to reopen by Monday. Categories were marked green for good, amber for improved or red for not functioning. Only one of the dozen categories -- security -- was shaded green, largely because 2,000 military personnel are supplementing the depleted police department. In the central business district and Uptown area, city leaders rated the sewer, water, building inspection and housing as red.

As people enter through two checkpoints, they will be handed a two-page warning that begins: "You are entering at your own risk." The document recommends getting a tetanus vaccine, wearing steel-toed boots, and not inhaling mist from pumps or dehumidifiers. In stark black-and-white type, the paper outlines the harsh realities of life in the city once known as the Big Easy.

"The sewage system has been compromised," it reads. "Standing water and soil may be seriously contaminated. Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Proceed with extreme caution, especially around downed power lines."

By issuing extensive warnings, "the city is not going to have any liability" if someone is injured as a result of faulty traffic signals or inadequate emergency rescue services, said City Attorney Sherry Landry.

"We do want to offer them the opportunity" to return, she said. "But we want to make sure it's an informed decision."