Tyler

By CINDY MALLETTE
Staff Writer

The last 323 Beaumont evacuees went home Thursday, Tyler city officials reported.

Only six evacuees -- all from Louisiana -- remain in Tyler, waiting for an all-clear notice from their state to head home.

Louisiana took the brunt of Hurricane Gustav's wind and rain this week, and some parishes are not yet allowing evacuees to return. Tyler city officials said that, once the mandatory evacuation orders are lifted, the remaining six evacuees can go home.

Tyler began repatriating Beaumont evacuees on Wednesday. The majority boarded buses and were back home by Wednesday night.

Only 323 medical special-needs evacuees remained, waiting for arrangements to be made for their safe return home. These evacuees were sheltered in three locations where they received medical care during the threat of Hurricane Gustav.

Buses, ambulances and transport vans were staged in Tyler overnight Wednesday. Nearly 150 ambulance drivers spent the night at Harvey Convention Center Wednesday so they could begin loading the medical special needs evacuees first thing Thursday.� 

The Texas State Guard was at each of the shelter sites helping evacuees and creating manifests needed to begin the convoys to Beaumont.�  State Guard troops provided evacuees with food and water for the return trip.

A Texas Department of Public Safety vehicle accompanied the convoy the entire way to Beaumont.

Officials with Smith County's emergency management team said state officials are staging resources in the East Texas area, in preparation for a string of hurricanes taking aim at the U.S. coastline.

Susan Guthrie, city of Tyler communications director, said State Guard troops will stay in Tyler until their release from duty, which could come as early as today. She said some may remain in preparation for other hurricanes.