http://www.bonnercountydailybee.com/articles/2005/09/24/ap/headlines/d8craqqg1.txtPerry: Rita Damage Not As Bad As Katrina
BEAUMONT, Texas - Gov. Rick Perry said Sunday that the damage inflicted by Hurricane Rita paled in comparison to Katrina, but urged evacuees stay where they are until local officials say it's all right to return.
In Louisiana, officials prepped 100 to 120 boats to search the sodden sugercane and rice fields Sunday. As many as 800 people may still need rescued in the parish's far-flung regions closer to the Gulf of Mexico, according to Jason Harmon, spokesman for the Abbeville Fire Department.
Officials with Louisiana's wildlife and fisheries department, which was handling the boats, said calls for help were still coming in.
Perry, speaking before he took a helicopter tour of the Beaumont area, said the region hit by the hurricane has been secured by law enforcement, but does not have water and sewer services available.