September 3, 2008 Gustav evacuees begin to return home Play video

(NECN/ABC) - President Bush is in Louisiana for a first-hand look at the hurricane recovery there. Gustav did far less damage than first feared, but the concerns now are humanitarian, with many evacuees now beginning to feel like refugees.

Nearly two million people fled the Louisiana coast, including 95% of New Orleans residents. Many are frustrated they can't go home. Millions are still without electricity.

In New Orleans and other areas, only emergency crews are back, clearing roads. However, some communities have begun letting their residents back in, clogging roadways.

In Shreveport, Gustav survivors are stranded until tomorrow, when the buses and trains that evacuated them are scheduled to bring them back home. Many of the state-run shelters were ill-prepared.

Despite three years to prepare since Hurricane Katrina struck, many here believe the government failed them.

The state government is deferring to the towns and cities to decide when to allow people to go home. But when they do go back, residents are being cautioned to expect big disruptions to their lives, like closed schools, supermarkets, banks and gas stations.

ABC's Viviana Hurtado has the latest.