NATCHEZ &045; Margaret Smith of Gulfshores, Ala., wouldn’t mind getting back to Natchez more often.

After all, the former Natchez resident still has family here.

But she’d rather not head back under these circumstances.

Smith &045; along with her son and daughter, a neighbor and another friend &045; were among those who chose to head inland in the wee hours of Saturday morning as Hurricane Dennis made its way toward land.

After Hurricane Ivan battered the Gulf Coast last year, &uot;we just got our walls put up and our carpet installed in April,&uot; Smith said as her son and friends slept on mattresses in the corner of Natchez’s hurricane shelter. After that, she figured, &uot;we’d had enough bad luck.&uot;

One would hope so. But just in case, Red Cross volunteers set up a shelter at the David Steckler Multi-Purpose Center at Natchez High School.

By Saturday afternoon, the linens had been set out and snacks prepared for hungry evacuees. At that point, all that was left to do was for the dozen or so volunteers to watch the weather reports and wait.

Smith and her group were the first to make it to the shelter, arriving there before 11 a.m. Saturday. By 8 p.m., five families had arrived, said Don Winter, shelter coordinator for the Red Cross’ local chapter.

&uot;They’re just trickling in Š but we’re ready for whoever comes in,&uot; Winter said, adding that the shelter can accommodate up to 400 people.

Winter attributed the slow trickle to the fact that New Orleans &045; from which Natchez usually gets most of its evacuees &045; had not yet been evacuated as of Saturday night.

Kristi Tedder, information clerk for the Natchez Visitor Reception Center, said that of the 650 or so visitors that center saw as of Saturday afternoon, about half asked where the nearest available hotel rooms could be found.

As of that point, only a few hotel rooms were still available, although Tedder said she expected more rooms to free up if New Orleans residents don’t evacuate.