HOUSTON, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Louisiana residents evacuated in Hurricane Katrina's wake have started moving out of Houston shelters to begin their lives anew virtually from scratch.
As of Tuesday, Houston's officials had reported 25,400 people at three of the shelters, but by Wednesday, the number had dropped to 8,066 people, the Houston Chronicle reported.
Some left with friends, relatives and church groups, while some for two-week hotel stays paid for by the federal government, the report said. Others found more permanent housing, including about 1,500 families who have moved to low-income housing complexes, or headed east to check on their homes in Louisiana.
Lt. Joe Leonard, of the U.S. Coast Guard, said that Wednesday morning was the first time officials got an accurate count.
Thousands of the evacuees' children were to start classes at area schools Thursday, which would help reopen two Houston elementary schools and make up for dwindling enrollment at others.
The evacuees also are pursuing leads on jobs and housing. Most important for many was the promise of $2,000 debit cards from the federal government for every household displaced by the storm.
