official info on Algiers

Algiers exempt from mandatory N.O. evacuation

Algiers residents who rode out Hurricane Katrina in their homes will be allowed to stay, despite Mayor Ray Nagin's order that New Orleans' remaining residents evacuate the city, Councilwoman Jacqueline Brechtel Clarkson said Thursday.

Nagin's directive came Wednesday as safety issues, including the threat of fire and disease, loomed over the city's remaining residents.

Clarkson said a few thousand of Algiers' estimated 60,000 residents remained in the West Bank community, which suffered downed trees and power lines in the storm. She said she hopes residents will be able to return home in two weeks.

The city's governmental operations could also move to Algiers, a timetable that has not yet been set, Clarkson said.