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Oct 1, 2008 6:54 am US/Central
600 Ike Evacuees Leave San Antonio For Galveston
SAN ANTONIO (AP) ―
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Smiley N. Pool-Pool/Getty Images
About half of 600 Hurricane Ike evacuees living in a San Antonio shelter began returning to Galveston on Tuesday, with the other 300 expected to board buses on Wednesday, officials said.
Twelve charter buses carrying 300 Galveston-bound evacuees left Port San Antonio on Tuesday, with another dozen scheduled to depart Wednesday. San Antonio city spokeswoman Gwen Schuler said officials plan to close the shelter by Thursday.
Upon returning to Galveston, many of the evacuees were expected to stay an elementary school where tents that could accommodate up to 1,000 people had been set up.
"We're trying to be realistic about what's even available in the city should you choose to return," said Alicia Cahill, a spokeswoman for the city of Galveston, in a story on the San Antonio Express-News Web site. "At the moment, all of our hotels and rental units are full."
The island remains under a boil-water notice and many stores and gas stations remain closed.
Most returning residents said they understood to expect to find their homes destroyed and possessions scattered.
"There's no sense in being mad," island resident Stephanie Edwards told the Galveston County Daily News. "We ain't got a home. What can we do?"
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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