New Orleans mayor C. Ray Nagin has invited residents to begin returning to sections of New Orleans from which floodwaters have cleared.

The French Quarter is among the areas reopening, with people told they can start returning at their own risk.

Mayor Ray Nagin’s push to repopulate the city, despite health concerns, now has the backing of federal officials.

Meanwhile the city’s police force says it is investigating a dozen officers in connection with looting after Katrina. — BBC News

The reopened sections of the city include the French Quarter, Uptown, including the Garden District, and the central business district. The Lower Ninth Ward, which remains underwater, is still closed.

Coast Guard Vice-Admiral Thad Allen, the federal official in charge of the recovery effort, has supported the mayor’s latest calls, saying “it is time to let the citizens in”. . . .

People who are returning home are being handed fliers saying they are returning “at your own risk”.

The vice-admiral said residents “need to be advised, first of all that schools will not be operating and that there are certain threats to public health they have to keep in mind”.

Stephen Johnson, head of the Environmental Protection Agency, warned serious health hazards remained because of bacteria-laden floodwater and the lack of sewerage and drinkable water. — BBC News

Meanwhile, gas prices are spiraling out of control, and President Bush is encouraging people to conserve. He’s even trimmed down the size of his motorcade and encouraged his staff to carpool and use public transit whenever possible.

Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, insisted that every little bit helped. The shorter motorcade, he said, came by combining people who normally ride in the staff van with people who ride in the guest van.

“All steps that people can take will help,” Mr. McClellan said, “and that’s why we look at all these measures.”

At the White House, Mr. McClellan said, “we’ll be sending out notices to staff to promote mass transit options as well, letting them know about Metro stops and encouraging ride sharing, telling them where pickup and drop-off points are at the White House, or reminding them of that, and just scrutinizing staff travel even more, so that people can video-conference where they can, versus actually traveling, and things of that nature.” — New York Times

Now that’s funny.