I left Jackson, Miss. around noon and hit I-55 south. Squalls and rain bands along the way, but remarkably little Gustavian damage visible except wet leaves everywhere. Word was that Orleans, Jefferson, and St. Tammany parishes were still "closed," so I hopped off the interstate and took back roads well before the Louisiana state line.

Listening to WWL-AM the whole way, it was clear that while locals were happy enough to let emergency responders and the like be the first in the city, no one wanted to cool his or her heels any longer than necessary, racking up hotel bills, eating out every meal, and dealing with bored children in a motel room. Caller after caller expressed the same thought: I pay taxes; I understand there's no electricity; I can fend for myself for a few days -- just let me go back to my damn house.

Over and over, St. Tammany Parish president Kevin Davis and Jefferson Parish president Aaron Broussard explained why that wasn't possible at this time. Jeff Parish seemed to mean it, with serious roadblocks. Furious and near-tearful callers who had been waiting hours at the parish line kept calling in to the station (the Times-Pic has a photo and story here).

Occurred to me, rather grimly, that this was the suburbanite version of the Gretna Bridge incident following Katrina.

Now back in downtown Covington and watching the Bogue Falaya River rise at an alarming rate (some areas in the river's path have been evacuated as of today). It's right outside the back door, so I've got an eye out.

When I got home, there was a large box turtle on the porch.

That probably can't be good.

The Times-Picayune has info about reentry into Orleans Parish, including the news that the city hopes to open on Wednesday to "tier one" people:

On Tuesday, only essential city workers and utility personnel will be allowed back in to the city. On Wednesday, New Orleans will begin welcoming back what Nagin described as "tier one" companies: retailers and other major companies who need to check on their stock and begin preparing to re-open.

While Nagin said citizens trying to re-enter would be stopped and turned around, he did not provide specifics on how many police or national guardsmen would be devoted to enforcing the provision.

Nothing at all in the story about "tier two" -- who are they/we? Is there a "tier three"? And when will the lower tiers be allowed back? More to the point: how will they know at the checkpoints who needs to come back to "check on their stock" and who just wants to come home, period?

Is there a secret "Tier One" ID card that nobody told me about?

Varg at The Chicory ain't happy:

I saw folks leaving with kids and old ladies and everything else in the most miserable looking jalopies who are getting by out there with who knows what finances. There are poor residents in shelters all over the South and “retailers” and “major companies” are going to be given first right of entry so the profiteering can commence? Wow, he really does run the city like a business.

Is Southern Scrap one of the companies being considered for Wednesday reentry? After the danger they put folks’ property in?

Guess what? I sell folk art in New Orleans. I need to check stock and re-open.

Most of us in the New Orleans metro area should be grateful that the storm wasn't worse for us, and of course there are good reasons to stay out of the way of the people who are working hard to clear roads and restore power. But staying away is an expensive, inconvenient proposition (I'm thankful that I'm not stuck in a hotel room with a couple of bored kids). And New Orleans people are, by and large, not wealthy, nor do they have a surplus of time. For those who are 12 or 14 hours away...how will they know when to hit the road?

I wonder if some people might be so aggravated at being "tier two" folks that they would think twice about leaving the next time someone declared that "the mother of all storms" was on its way. That could be more than inconvenient; it could be tragic.

Edit: Dianne de las Casas at the Story Connection points out that Jefferson Parish has online registration for its "tier" reentry at Jump Start Jefferson. Looks like applicants will need to be on the Jeff tax rolls and meet certain qualifications:

Tier-2 re-entry placards will be issued to businesses that are essential to the return of residents of the parish and/or for the restoration of the economy of the Parish and to pre-approved humanitarian relief agencies. Approved Tier-2 businesses will be provided with a limited number of re-entry placards for damage assessment and recovery teams.

Examples of Tier-2 businesses are fuel distributors, food and grocery stores, pharmacies, insurance companies, health care providers, hardware and building supply stores, facilities with fragile inventories such as, chemical processing and storage, laboratories, etc., large retailers of household goods and construction industry trades (carpentry, electrical, plumbing, roofing, etc.).

"Tiering" seems like a useful plan after a Katrina-type disaster (here's the equivalent page on the City of New Orleans Web site), but in the aftermath of a storm like Gustav, I think the parishes are going to have trouble keeping people out by, say, Thursday. Folks want to go home.

(And is it just me, or was this "tier" plan not widely publicized before the storms?)

Some Web sites to check before you get back on the road (and note that Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Charles, St. Tammany and St. Bernard Parishes are all closed until at least Wednesday):

- Louisiana official emergency Web site: Lots of information about parish openings, highway closings, curfews, state government office status reports, etc.

- Louisiana Department of Transportation: Interactive maps with road closings, alerts, lane closures, etc. Pretty detailed information.

- City of New Orleans: Not the most current info, but worth checking.

- Jefferson Parish:

Over 120,000 Entergy customers lost electricity and tours of the parish by Parish President Aaron Broussard, Parish Council members and parish work crews revealed the extent of damage. Power lines and poles are down, some blocking streets, and many traffic signals are down and blocking some intersections. Trees are toppled and many tree limbs and other debris are obstacles on roadways and some billboards were shredded by the storm.

Although a number of fences were pushed over by high winds and there was some damage to metal structures such as carports and storage sheds, most residences and businesses were spared major damage and there were no reports of street or structure flooding outside of the communities of Grand Isle and Lafitte.

The parish is working with surrounding parishes and the State of Louisiana on re-entry but the parish remains under a mandatory evacuation order and residents will not be allowed to return tomorrow, Tuesday, September 2.

Parish public schools will remain closed this week and Archdiocesan school officials said they will concur with the civil authorities regarding reopening of Jefferson Parish parochial schools, which will also remain closed through the end of this week. An announcement regarding all phases of re-entry will be made tomorrow so that all citizens and businesses can return to the parish this week.

- City of Kenner:

With the passing of major winds today, Kenner city officials have turned their attention to serving curious residents.

The city's emergency command center opened three new phone lines to handle the inundation of phone calls. If residents cannot get through using 504.468.7200 or 504.468.HELP, they can use 504.712.2399, 504.712.2333, or 504.712.2334.

Authorities are keeping an eye on Kenner's sewerage, drainage and levee systems, but so far no flooding has been reported, authorities said. Power is still out in most of the city and the mandatory evacuation remains in effect. No word on when residents can plan on returning to their homes.