Last refugees finally bussed away from the Superdome

NEW ORLEANS -- The last 300 refugees in the Superdome climbed aboard buses Saturday bound for new temporary shelter, leaving behind a darkened and stinking arena strewn with trash.

The sight of the last person -- an elderly man wearing a Houston Rockets cap -- prompted cheers from members of the Texas National Guard who were guarding the facility.

"I feel like I've been here 40 years," said Louis Dalmas Sr., one of the last people out of the arena. "Any bus going anywhere -- that's all I want."

Inside and outside the Superdome -- including the concourse around it and a 50-yard bridge that connects it to a shopping center -- was a sea of garbage up to 5 feet deep.

Among the food wrappers, abandoned shopping carts and upturned chairs were personal items, including wedding albums, clothing, toys, a PlayStation console, and a doll.

Jessica Montgomery left behind a suitcase and a pillow case full of mementos. "I wanted it, but I just couldn't carry it any farther," she said.

Capt. Joe Haines said the final day of evacuations went according to plan. The dome's 10 acres was next to be searched to ensure there are no bodies beneath the trash, while cleanup crews are to rake away the piles to discourage rats.

Many of the Superdome refugees were bused to Texas. Besides the 25,000 or so being brought to Houston, officials said another 25,000 would be taken to San Antonio and other locations.

Tina Miller, 47, had no shoes and cried with relief and exhaustion as she left the Superdome and walked toward a bus. "I never thought I'd make it. Oh, God, I thought I'd die in there. I've never been through anything this awful."

In addition to five medical patients who had to be carried out, several of the final refugees smelled of alcohol after having apparently scavenged liquor bottles from the debris. One man was led away in handcuffs.

The inside of the dome was pitch black as the last people left. Bathrooms had no lights, making people afraid to enter, and the stench from backed-up toilets inside killed any inclination toward bravery.

Capt. John Pollard of the Texas Air Force National Guard said 20,000 people were in the dome when the evacuation efforts began Wednesday. That number swelled to about 30,000 when people poured in because they believed it was the best place to get a ride out of town.

Many of the Superdome refugees were bused to Texas. Besides the 25,000 or so being brought to Houston, officials said another 25,000 would be taken to San Antonio and other locations.

Tensions at the dome ran high ever since residents unable to get out of the city ahead of as Hurricane Katrina used it as a shelter of last resort. A near-riot broke out in the scramble to get on the first few buses that arrived to ferry evacuees to Texas.

After that, lines of people a half-mile long snaked from the dome through the nearby Hyatt Regency Hotel, then to where buses waited. Babies were held over parents' heads, and the sun beat down mercilessly. State troopers, making every effort to be cheerful, handed out bottles of water and tried to keep families and groups together.

At one point Friday, the evacuation was interrupted briefly when school buses pulled up so some 700 guests and employees from the hotel could move to the head of the evacuation line -- much to the amazement of those who had been crammed in the Superdome since last Sunday.