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New Orleans first responders promised alternative housing as ships leave

By MARY FOSTER
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS — Hurricane evacuees who’ve been living on two cruise ships in New Orleans began slowly evacuating Wednesday morning, while people on a third ship in St. Bernard Parish spent the morning fighting to stay put.

The ships have served as home for victims of Hurricane Katrina — mostly police and first responders — who lost their houses in the Aug. 29 storm. The two New Orleans ships were due to leave early Thursday morning for service and repair before returning to service with Carnival Cruise Line.

On Wednesday morning there were 559 people left on the New Orleans ships, said Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman David Passey. Early on, close to 2,000 people were living on the ships.

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