New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward reopens to families

Mayor Ray Nagin urges residents to return

The last neighborhood in New Orleans that had remained closed after Hurricane Katrina reopened Thursday. While some families of the Lower Ninth Ward vowed to rebuild, others insisted they would abandon the area.

Residents were allowed in for the day to gather what belongings they could. Until now, people had been able to view the destruction only on bus tours. Families still cannot stay in the neighborhood, which has no electrical power.

Meanwhile, Nagin continues his tour of the South, urging New Orleans residents ousted by Katrina to return home. The city had more than 485,000 residents before the hurricane hit, and evacuees remain scattered across the country. More from MSNBC.

Tags: Katrina, Hurricane, New Orleans, Media by Sistrunk