Natchez &8212; FEMA has promised that hurricane evacuees staying in Mississippi and Louisiana hotels have a reprieve from a Dec. 1 deadline for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to stop paying for their rooms.

And with good reason, if you look at housing availability in the Miss-Lou.

Local real estate agents said some of the activity to help evacuees find housing has died down, and that rental property is virtually non-existent.

&8220;I&8217;ve worked with a lot of evacuees,&8221; Realtor Charlotte Copeland of Century 21 River Cities Realty said. &8220;That first few days, people were lined up in our office.&8221;

Last week, Copeland had two closings in one day for houses sold to evacuees.

But rental property is another story.

&8220;We&8217;re down to nothing,&8221; she said.

Realtor Janice Easom of Paul Green agreed. &8220;There&8217;s not a whole lot,&8221; she said.

A FEMA official said last week that counselors from the agency would be visiting hotel residents in coming weeks to discuss their individual housing needs.

Earlier this month, FEMA took over a hotel payment program from the Red Cross which has been footing the bill for hotel rooms for hurricane evacuees. Last week the agency said it had set a Dec. 1 deadline to stop paying those hotel bills. But a housing shortage in Louisiana and Mississippi has halted that deadline here.

For now, FEMA has said it will evaluate the need to pay for hotel rooms on a biweekly basis in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Natchez still has hundreds of people still living in hotels. Ramada Inn manager Bonnie Stanley said last week that about 100 rooms in the hotel are occupied by Katrina evacuees &8212; 80 percent of capacity for the hotel.

And many have made themselves at home, she said.

&8220;Some have their kids in school,&8221; she said. &8220;They&8217;re just trying to make a home until they can find permanent housing.&8221;

Just across the river, Comfort Suites in Vidalia has about 32 percent of its rooms occupied by evacuees. The Natchez Eola Hotel has about 15 rooms, but the Isle of Capri no longer houses any evacuees.

Housing shortage or no, both hotel managers and Realtors seemed pleased to welcome the residents to the Miss-Lou.

&8220;It&8217;s a slow period (for the hotels),&8221; Stanley said, noting the hotel&8217;s occupancy rate is higher than it would normally be this time of year.

And Copeland said a lot of people are buying houses and settling in.

&8220;They have decided not to go back,&8221; she said. &8220;It&8217;s really nice for Natchez.&8221;