New Orleans residents return to see ruins of their homes

One week after Hurricane Katrina turned the region into a disaster of biblical proportions, miles-long lines of vehicles crawled into suburban Jefferson Parish on Monday as residents were allowed to return for brief inspections of what's left of their homes.

The traffic began moving into the parish about 6 a.m. and officials planned to allow traffic in for 12 hours, though they encouraged residents to inspect their property, pick up personal items and leave.

The suburban New Orleans parish, which has about 500,000 residents, has been closed since a mandatory evacuation just before Katrina hit. Wide portions of Metairie and Kenner suffered heavy flooding and authorities said thousands of homes were damaged.