Police prepare to use force to clear New Orleans

American soldiers and police confiscated guns from homeowners as they went house to house, trying to clear the shattered city of New Orleans of holdouts because of the danger of disease and fire.

Police today also marked homes with corpses inside, with plans to return later.

As many as 10,000 people were believed to be stubbornly staying put in the city, despite orders from Mayor Ray Nagin earlier this week to leave or be removed by force.

By midmorning, though, there were no immediate reports of anyone being taken out forcibly, police said.

Police are “not going to do that until we absolutely have to. We really don’t want to do that at all,” Deputy Chief Warren Riley said.

Some residents who had previously refused to leave – whether because they wanted to protect their homes from looters, they did not want to leave their pets behind, or they simply feared the unknown – are now changing their minds and asking to be rescued, police said.

“They realize they’re not going to this awful situation like the Superdome or the Convention Centre,” Riley said. “As days go by, it seems less and less likely that we’ll have to force anyone.”

He added: “I don’t know of any incidents where people are being bellingerent.”

Police and soldiers seized numerous guns for fear of confrontations with jittery residents who have armed themselves against looters.

“No one will be able to be armed. We are going to take all the weapons,” Riley said.

Yesterday, in the city’s well-to-do Lower Garden District, a neighbourhood with many old mansions, members of the Oklahoma National Guard seized weapons from the inhabitants of one home.

Those who were armed were handcuffed and briefly detained before being let go.

“Walking up and down these streets, you don’t want to think about the stuff that you’re going to have to do, if somebody’s pops out around a corner,” said one of the Guardsmen, Chris Montgomery.

Police also went door-to-door checking for bodies or anyone in need of rescue. Houses where corpses were found were marked so that authorities could go back later.