Bars, restaurants and shops had just begun showing signs of life when the mayor halted the repopulation of the city and once again ordered everyone to leave town as a new tropical storm headed toward the Gulf of Mexico.
The call for another evacuation came after repeated warnings from top federal officials — including President Bush himself — that New Orleans was not safe enough to reopen.
Federal officials warned that Tropical Storm Rita could breach the city's weakened levees and swamp the city all over again.
Nagin saw a quick reopening as a way to get the storm-battered city back in the business of luring tourists. But federal officials warned that such a move could be a few weeks premature, pointing out that much of the area does not yet have full electricity and still has no drinkable water, 911 service or working hospitals.
With the approach of Rita, Bush added his voice, saying he had "deep concern" about the possibility that New Orleans' levees could be breached again.
"The mayor — you know, he's got this dream about having a city up and running, and we share that dream," the president said. "But we also want to be realistic about some of the hurdles and obstacles that we all confront in repopulating New Orleans."
About 20 percent of the city is still flooded, down from a high of about 80 percent after Katrina, and the water was expected to be pumped out by Sept. 30.
