NATCHEZ &045;&045; Perhaps there were fewer evacuees coming through the area this time, or maybe lessons have been learned from the first set of evacuees to flood through the Miss-Lou this fall.

In any case, traffic, though heavy, was moving well throughout the area Friday as thousands of vehicles from south Louisiana and Texas fled from Hurricane Rita.

Natchez Police Chief Mike Mullins said there had been no significant traffic problems in the city.

&uot;It’s just a little heavy, but a lot of people are just passing through without even stopping,&uot; Mullins said.

Traffic was backed up along the two-lane section of U.S. 84 coming from Jonesville into Ferriday, officials for the Ferriday Police Department said. Officials in Concordia Parish were encouraging evacuees to continue north to Monroe, La., rather than staying in the area.

Many people stopped in the Miss-Lou after a long day of driving, content at least to spend the night here before moving on or waiting out Rita before returning to the coast.

Carl and Christine Pesson, from New Iberia, La., stopped their camper at the River View Park and Resort in Vidalia. After a long day of driving that included a sick cat, a minor car accident and a wrong turn, the Pessons were ready to stop, Christine said.

&uot;It’s been a disastrous day. We’ll stay no matter what,&uot; Christine said. &uot;We weren’t coming here, we just wasted too much time looking at other places.&uot;

River View had a 46-camper long waiting list for hookups at 3 p.m. when the Pessons pulled in.

Lines at gas stations were practically nonexistent throughout the area, and few if any stations were running out of gas.

Beaumont, Texas, resident Sarah Blanton said she was filling up at a Vidalia station because it was the first station she had seen without a line since leaving Texas. Blanton was driving to Atlanta to stay with relatives, she said.

Several local gas stations raised their prices Friday, evidently anticipating a rise in gas prices. Prices at most stores ranged from $2.53 to $2.66 per gallon for regular.

The highest prices in the Miss-Lou were at Papa T’s in Vidalia and Taunton’s Superette in Ferriday, both of which had posted prices of $3.19 per gallon for regular Friday, more than 50 cents above the next highest stations.