Traffic Jams In Mobile As Evacuees Go Home

Interstate highways in Mobile were very busy for much of the day Wednesday because of Hurricane Gustav evacuees returning to New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana.
By 6 pm, traffic on Interstates 65 and 10 in Mobile had thinned out, but Alabama state troopers were still keeping an eye out.
Corporal Joe Piggott with the Alabama Department of Public Safety said, "(Troopers) went on 12 hour shifts just prior to the storm and I guess we actually ended that today. But we do have some additional troopers working tonight and we'll have extra patrols on the interstate."
Shirl Francis is driving back to New Orleans from Mobile.
But when she left, Francis said it took her eight hours to get to Mobile.
When asked what that was like, she said, "Really hectic."
But as for driving back to New Orleans, Francis said, "It's not as bad as we thought."
News Five also ran into Ashley Fontaine.
She's from the town of St. Amant in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
She was going back home after driving her son to Pensacola.
Fontaine rode out the storm in her house.
She said, "We got hit really hard. We had lots of damage, trees down, houses, cars."
And if you get impatient lining up for gas, try driving between New Orleans and Baton Rouge.
Fontaine said to get gas, there were "two hour waits, if you can get gas when you get there. They're running out."