Billed by New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin as the “mother of all storms,” Hurricane Gustav cut a swath of damage across the Louisiana coast last summer but did relatively little harm in the city where Katrina is the benchmark.

With nearly 2 million people fleeing coastal Louisiana ahead of Gustav and Ike’s threat less than two weeks later, the evacuations were considered orderly. But there were problems.

Many evacuees found poor conditions at shelters. When Gustav passed, southeast Louisiana communities opened in a confusing manner.

Emergency management officials say they’ve taken steps to better coordinate the evacuation and re-entry process, and are promising better conditions at shelters if they are needed this year.